Long-term imaging of cellular forces with high precision by elastic resonator interference stress microscopy

Cellular forces are crucial for many biological processes but current methods to image them have limitations with respect to data analysis, resolution and throughput. Here, we present a robust approach to measure mechanical cell–substrate interactions in diverse biological systems by interferometrically detecting deformations of an elastic micro-cavity. Elastic resonator interference stress microscopy (ERISM) yields stress maps with exceptional precision and large dynamic range (2 nm displacement resolution over a >1 μm range, translating into 1 pN force sensitivity). This enables investigation of minute vertical stresses (