Microrheology with ODIN VELOMIR: Real-Time Measurements with Precision

An Introduction to Microrheology

Microrheology, the study of material deformation and flow in small sample volumes, has transformed how we understand the mechanical properties of biological materials. By examining the viscoelastic behaviour of cells, this technique provides invaluable insights into local stiffness and active internal processes, which are crucial for applications in cell biology and biophysics.

However, traditional microrheology methods face significant challenges. Passive video microrheology, while promising for its simplicity, often struggles with storage bandwidth, speed limitations, and computational demands. These challenges hinder real-time analysis, limiting the potential of this powerful technique. Enter ODIN’s VELOMIR module—a patented solution that redefines the possibilities of microrheological measurements. By leveraging state-of-the-art tracking algorithms and adaptive sensor readout, VELOMIR enables real-time, precise measurements while minimising data requirements.

In this blog, we explore how the VELOMIR module addresses the limitations of traditional methods, paving the way for advanced microrheology applications. With its ability to provide immediate results and track particle behaviour with unprecedented precision.

Discover its impact through real-world applications, including groundbreaking experiments on NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells.

What is Microrheology?

Microrheology involves studying the deformation and flow of matter within small sample volumes. This technique is particularly useful for examining the properties of biological materials.

In passive microrheology, particle movement is primarily driven by thermal fluctuations, resulting in Brownian motion.

Active microrheology, on the other hand, enhances the signal-to-noise ratio by actively displacing the particles or the material. Both methods yield precise results regarding viscoelastic properties, enabling the measurement of local cell stiffness and the observation of active internal processes.    

Integration with Camera Technology

Passive video microrheology is promising due to its straightforward experimental setup. However, it faces challenges related to storage bandwidth, speed, and size requirements, especially when measuring cell stiffness. Traditionally, this method involves recording particle movement on video and analyzing the positions offline. This two-step process is necessary due to the high computational demands of precise particle tracking, limiting real-time analysis. Standard cameras are constrained by speed, while high-speed cameras are limited by recording duration.   

The Solution – ODIN VELOMIR

ODIN’s patented VELOMIR module addresses these limitations by directly computing particle positions in real-time and saving only the position data. This significantly reduces data rates, enabling virtually unlimited recording times at high speeds. The traditional two-step process is replaced with an online, direct tracking approach, optimizing state-of-the-art tracking algorithms to lower computational demands and save only essential data, such as particle positions and radii.

The biggest advantage of this technology is that the measurement result is available immediately, with no need for offline processing. This is possible because the particle positions are known during the experiment. Combining online particle tracking with adaptive sensor readout, the VELOMIR module facilitates passive microrheology experiments spanning over seven decades of time resolution without compromising precision. 

It was found that adding blebbistatin reduced the active motion of the cells at middle to long time scales, with this effect occurring within minutes. In contrast, cells treated with a placebo showed no significant change, confirming that blebbistatin, a myosin inhibitor, specifically affects cell movement.