In a new EU-funded initiative, scientists at TU Delft are developing a nano-device capable of measuring the mechanical behaviour of individual cells. The project aims to shed light on the early stages of metastatic cancer, when a circulating tumour cell arrives at another organ after detaching itself from the primary tumour. Gaining insight into these initial changes could pave the way for identifying biophysical markers that signal metastasis at its very onset.
“We already know a lot about the biochemical changes that occur when normal cells become cancerous or when cancer cells break away from the primary tumour and arrive at a new organ in metastasis, such as which proteins are expressed,” explains associate professor Murali Ghatkesar. “But the mechanical or physical changes during these early stages of metastasis are far less understood.”
As healthy tissue gradually transforms into a tumour, it becomes stiffer. But can we detect changes in stiffness before the tissue even feels rigid? And what role do these physical properties play in the metastatic process?
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