In vitro method for measurement and model-free evaluation of time-invariant biomaterials functions

A method for determining a plurality of time-invariant functional properties of materials in a high-output screening, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) positioning a material specimen, selected from the group consisting of a biomaterial, a tissue sample, a live matter containing material, and a pharmaceutical substance, or any combination thereof, onto a sample holder absent explicit fixation of the specimen;
• b) immersing the specimen and the sample holder into a fluid;
• c) establishing a contact of the specimen with a sensor probe;
• d) applying a non-destructive mechanical stimulus, selected from the group consisting of a bending, a compressing, a shearing, and ultrasonic waves, to the specimen via the sensor probe, said stimulus inducing a movement of the fluid adjacent to the specimen;
• e) measuring via the sensor probe changes in a signal, reflecting changes in dimensions of the specimen, as a function of time and applied stimulus parameters;
• f) subtracting signal contributions from background sources, including the sample holder, the sensor probe and the measurement parts themselves,
• g) processing the measured data after step f) by time convolution in a material model free assumptions manner;
• and
• h) calculating the specimen time-invariant material properties, selected from the group consisting of an aggregate modulus, a specimen viscosity, an intrinsic modulus, a permeability, a permittivity, a slope modulus, a dynamic modulus, a dimensionless alpha-value, a visco-stiffness, a fluid diffusivity, a specimen loading history, and characteristic times, from the processed data.