Continuous, high-speed 3D topographic profiling of living tissue monolayers

FLEXOM enables continuous 3D topographic profiling of living tissue monolayers with ~250 ms temporal resolution and ~0.37 m axial precision, stable for >96 h.

• Why it matters: Fast, continuous monitoring of 3D architecture and mechanical remodeling in tissue monolayers is difficult, limiting axis-resolved understanding of how structure changes relate to function.
• What they did: The microfluidic FLEXOM platform uses multilayer micropillar arrays with negative-staining optics to generate self-calibrated 3D height maps, anchored by geometry-based reference cavities for in-frame calibration.
• The result: FLEXOM shows cell-type–specific vertical thickness profiles (95% vs. 76% using mean height and height variability) and, after acute osmotic shock, vertical height changes precede lateral remodeling, while 3-min cyclic isotonic-hypotonic pulses confine remodeling to the vertical axis.

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