Researchers have developed a new tool that could evaluate new drugs for diseases associated with abnormal levels of cell strength, such as asthma, hypertension and muscular dystrophy. According to the researchers, the tool named "fluorescently labeled elastomeric contractible surfaces" (FLECS) can measure the physical strength of individual cells 100 times faster than current technologies.

"Our new experimental platforms are capable of screening millions of molecules to identify the best drug candidates for the right patients," said co-author of the study, Reynold A. Panettieri Jr. Professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the US.