Wrinkle cellomics: Screening bladder cancer cells using an ultra-thin silicone membrane

Abstract

We report a visualization platform, comprised of an ultra-thin silicone membrane, to differentiate between the biophysical properties of cancerous and non-cancerous cells from human patients. Cancerous cells adhere to, spread on, and induce deformation of this membrane to produce wrinkles while non-cancerous cells fail to generate wrinkles. Wrinkle patterns - number, length, and direction of wrinkles - can be visualized by a conventional microscopy. Quantitative measurement of these wrinkling patterns represent a powerful, non-invasive diagnostic tool for prevalent cancers, such as bladder cancer.