Characterization of Living Drosophila Embryos using Micro Robotic Manipulation System

This paper aims at investigating and characterizing force behavior and mechanical properties of living drosophila embryos using an in situ modeled PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) piezoelectric microforce sensing tool with a resolution in the range of sub-muN. Drosophila embryo is one of the most studied organisms in biological research, medical research, genetics and developmental biology, and has implications in the cure of human diseases. In order to achieve high efficiency and accuracy during microinjection of genetic material into a drosophila embryo, it is absolutely necessary to allow close monitoring of the magnitude and direction of microinjection forces acting on the embryo during injection. In this paper, a microrobotic biomanipulation platform integrating a two-axis (2-D) modeled PVDF micro-force sensor is used to implement force sensing during microinjection of living drosophila embryos. Micro injection forces and membrane deformation of embryos in different stages of embryogenesis are found. Ultimately, the technology will provide a critical and major step towards the development of automated biomanipuation for batch microinjection of living embryos in genetics