CELL-SCALE BIOMECHANICS

Context
‍Cancer management requires visualization of tumor tissues and cells; however, these tissues have mechanical barriers that remain invisible to standard microscopy and medical imaging methods. The recent research shows that cancer progression is regulated by biomechanical interactions between tumor cells and extracellular matrix, occurring within a 3D confinement at the micrometer scale. However, techniques to accurately determine these interactions have largely been lacking.

About us
‍We develop microscopy-integrable technologies that visualize and analyze how microscale biomechanical properties (micromechanics) vary within 3D cell cultures, which are standard models in cancer research. Our methods enable us to investigate how the interplay between micromechanics and cancer stage contributes to breast cancer progression, as well as chemoresistance. We are particularly interested in key dynamic behaviors of tumor cells that drive cancer progression, including cell migration from the primary tumor, and the remodeling of the structural and mechanical properties of cellular microenvironments.

Topics of our projects
1) Role that matrix micromechanics plays in invasive migration of breast cancer cells
2) Efficacy testing of chemotherapeutics using breast cancer 3D cell cultures
3) Materials tailoring for 3D cell cultures to mimic cancer tissues

Overall, we experimentally investigate the role of micromechanics among concurrent factors driving the cancer progression, aiming to maximize its technological benefit in medical applications. We are located in the Health Technology House, and we belong to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation (EEA) in the School of Electrical Engineering (ELEC) at Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.