Micro Magnet Chips to Study Nanoparticle Force-induced Neural Cell Migration

Mechanical forces have long been studied in relation to stem cell differentiation or cell migration, however, their significance during brain and neural circuit formation are poorly understood. We present a magnetic gradient platform that allows investigation of small scale forces acting on arrays of neurons in parallel. The approach draws magnetic nanoparticles within neurons towards patterned magnetic elements leading to forces acting on neural cell membranes. Initial results show increased cell accumulation and tau activation in neurons adjacent to large-sized magnetic elements. Using our platform provides the possibility to study the impact of force during normal and abnormal brain development.