Browsing by Author "Duz, Nilufer"

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A Soft Sensor-Integrated Cell Stretching Device for Precise and Reproducible Mechanotransduction
(Royal Soc, 2026) Yildiz, Solen Kumbay; Akar, Samet; Ozturk, Emre; Dincer, Pervin; Uyanik, Ismail; Duz, Nilufer
Mechanical stretch is a fundamental regulator of cell fate, yet in vitro replication remains challenging because conventional stretchers deliver non-uniform strain and ignore batch-to-batch variations in substrate stiffness-so the stress actually experienced by cells varies unpredictably. We introduce the first biaxial cell-stretching platform that couples an embedded soft resistive micro-channel sensor with high-frequency closed-loop control. Real-time deformation read-out (60 Hz) drives a 24 kHz actuator loop to compensate for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) moduli spanning an order of magnitude, delivering user-defined triangular or square waveforms (5-20% amplitude; 0.5-10 s period) with less than 2% steady-state error. Closed-loop operation maintains strain-invariant membrane stress within +/- 5%, reducing well-to-well variability threefold compared with open-loop actuation. Biological validation using immortalized human myoblasts exposed to 10% cyclic stretch for 4 h produced a significant upregulation of YAP/TAZ target genes (C-MYC, MYL9, DIAPH1, ANKRD1; p < 0.001), confirming mechanotransductive efficacy. The platform's modular architecture accommodates stiffness-tunable hydrogels and live imaging, offering a reproducible tool for mechanobiology, tissue engineering, disease modelling and personalized mechanotherapy.
Citation - WoS: 1
Unveiling the Strain Uniformity Challenge: Design and Evaluation of a Pdms Membrane for Precise Mechanobiology Studies
(Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2025) Duz, Nilufer; Gulsum, Yasin; Odeibat, Waleed; Uyanik, Ismail; Akar, Samet; Dincer, Pervin
Mechanotransduction and mechanosensing enable cells to respond to mechanical stimuli, essential in various physiological functions. Specialized cell stretching devices use stretchable, transparent, and biocompatible elastomeric membranes to study these responses. However, achieving strain uniformity is a key challenge, affecting data accuracy and reliability. This study designed a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane with optimized uniformity for electromechanical cell stretching. Finite element analysis optimized membrane size and shape, achieving a 90% strain uniformity index-a 233% improvement over commercial membranes. By tailoring material properties like cross-linker ratio and curing time, membrane failure issues were resolved, enhancing applications in tissue engineering and mechanobiology research.