National Skeletal Muscle Research Center

Passive mechanical apparatus used for simultaneous imaging and mechanical testing of muscle cells during confocal microscopy. The apparatus is described in detail in Shah and Lieber (2003). In this apparatus, high-resolution force transducer records muscle force while the fiber is placed in the chamber on the stage of a confocal microscope. The rotary bearing is used to ensure the single cell is not twisted which obscures imaging.