Mechanoinformatics: High-throughput single cell mechanical properties mapping to unravel cell heterogeneity

Mechanical properties of cells are not only unique intrinsic labels of cells, but also closely related to the behaviors and functions of cells under various physiological and pathological conditions. In these processes, cell phenotype, fate decision, behavior, and function are highly heterogeneous and dynamic. Investigations at the single cell level can greatly facilitate our understanding of the roadmap of the emergence of cell heterogeneity. Rapid advances in the technology of single cell mechanical characterization offer a perfectly useful tool to fulfill this purpose. Here, we consolidate the technological principles of single cell mechanotype characterization with various methods and summarize their applications in the study of disease diagnosis, drug screening, and cell sorting. We further provide insights on existing challenges and future research directions. Together, high throughput single cell mechanical characterization is a fundamental cell profiling and data mining that can provide tremendous perceptions towards mechanobiology and mechano-medicine.