Cell Mechanics Lab
09.03.2009
Metastatic extravasation
Reference: Reymond N. et al., Nat. Rev. (2013)
A major key-event during cancer metastasis is the entry and subsequent exit of invasive cancer-cells into and out of vasculature. Often accompanied by stark changes in cellular phenotype, the process of extravasation necessitates a tight coordination between the mechanical properties of the invading cancer cell and the underlying layer of vascular endothelial cells. We are currently investigating the importance of multiple biomechanical determinants of this process: temporal stiffness and plasticity of exiting tumor cells, the nature of mechanical linkages between cancer-cell and endothelial cells, and finally the response of endothelial cells to both "first-contact" and "mature-contact" with cancer cells.
Lead scholar: (1) Vaibavi