Department of Biophysical Microstructures

NZ55

Biomechanics in the monitoring of anti-tumour drug effect

Cancer leads to robust changes in the mechanical landscape of both cells and the microenvironment. Those changes concern both mechanical properties of cells (most solid tumours cells are softer than their healthy counterparts) and of extracellular matrix (ECM) (it stiffens like, for example, in breast cancers). Here we would like to understand how changes in cellular deformability induced by anti-tumour drugs affect the outcome resulting from cancer treatment.

(A) Fluorescent images of Du145 cells cultured on PDMS of varying stiffness. (B) Impact of PDMS substrate stiffness on cytotoxicity of vinflunine in Du145 cells. Within the range of physiological stiffness (provided by softer PDMS substrates), cells become more resistible to vinflunine action.

References:

  1. M. Lekka – Discrimination between normal and cancerous cells using AFM – BioNanoScience, 6(1) (2016) 65-80.
  2. S. H. Medina, B. Bush, M. Cam, E. Sevcik, F.W. DelRio, K.vNandy, J.P.vSchneider – Identification of a mechanogenetic link between substrate stiffness and chemotherapeutic response in breast cancer – Biomaterials, 202 (2019) 1-11.
  3. A.Kubiak, M.Chighizola, C.Schulte, N.Bryniarka, J.Wesołowska, M.Pudełek, M.Lasota, D.Ryszawy, A.Basta-Kaim, P.Laidler, A.Podesta, M.Lekka ­– Stiffening of DU145 prostate cancer cells driven by actin filaments – microtubules crosstalk confers resistance to microtubule-targeting drugs – Nanoscale, 13 (2021) 6212-6226.