More than 90 percent of deaths caused by cancer are linked to metastases. Understanding the conditions which cause cancer metastases and how the metastatic cells move through the body is key to developing new approaches to cancer treatment. Biophysics can provide valuable insights, as even cancer is subject to the laws of physics.

Prof. Dr. Jochen Guck, together with Prof. Dr. Josef Käs from the University of Leipzig, was able to demonstrate how tumor cells actively change from solid and stiff to a fluid and soft condition in order to move through the dense tissue of the human body and form metastases. This discovery led to a paradigm shift in the way cancer cells are viewed and motivated collaboration with the physician Professor Dr Bahriye Aktas from the University of Leipzig Medical Center.

The scientists were able to identify markers in breast cancer samples which, when used in conjunction with the existing criteria, could provide a much more accurate indication of a tumor's potential for metastasis. Jochen Guck's research has contributed enormously to the basic biophysical understanding that metastasizing cancer cells must be softer than healthy tissue. With photonic and biophysical tools developed by Guck, the physical properties of cells in interaction with their surrounding tissue can be examined and quantified. This enables the biophysicist to use a high-throughput method for measuring cell mechanics, known as Real-time Deformability Cytometry (RT-DC), to measure the individual mechanical characteristics of a large number of cells. This is done at a measurement speed of 100 to 1000 cells per second and allows scientists to uncover the altered biomechanical properties of diseased cells quickly. The goal is to improve cancer diagnosis in patient samples, and especially to screen for new drugs which could reduce the deformability of cells and thus make metastases less likely.

Guck adds: “The understanding is that cancer is not only a genetic disease, but also a mechanical one. And our task is to broaden our view of it.”

About the MPZPM

The MPZPM is an interdisciplinary, joint research center of the MPL, the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the Uniklinikum Erlangen (UKER). Research at the MPZPM focuses on fundamental questions in medicine from a completely new physical perspective. The aim is to use this perspective to contribute new findings to the understanding of living systems, biological processes and their pathological changes, and to establish new diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

About the Greve Prize

The German National Academy of Science Leopoldina’s Greve Prize is awarded to scientists or research teams who work at German universities, non-university research institutes, or commercial enterprises. The prize is awarded every two years and honours outstanding research achievements in the natural sciences, medicine and engineering sciences. The Greve Prize, on each occasion, focuses on a specific topic. This year, the topic is the foundations of new cancer therapies. The prize is endowed with 250,000 euros, with funds from the Greve Foundation. Further information on the Greve Prize: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/about-us/distinctions-of-the-academy/awards-and-honours/greve-prize/.

About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in international academic dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With around 1,700 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.

About the Helmut and Hannelore Greve Foundation for Science, Development and Culture

Prof. Dr. h. c. Helmut Greve and Prof. Dr. h. c. Hannelore Greve founded the Helmut and Hannelore Greve Foundation for Science, Development and Culture in 1995. In the area of science, the foundation provided start-up capital spread over three years to establish the Academy of Sciences in Hamburg, the creation of the highly endowed Hamburg Science Prize, and since 2022 the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina’s Greve Prize. The highly conscientious approach of the foundation’s founders, their keen sense of quality, and their insight into what is necessary and what is possible shape the foundation’s work to this day. Directors Eva-Maria Greve and Wolfgang Peter Greve continue to guide the foundation according to these principles.