Welcome to the Research Group Cancer Biomechanics

Mechanical forces are ubiquitous in biological systems: they appear in plants and animals, in unicellular and multicellular organisms, they span several length scales (from molecules to whole organisms) and regulate many processes (e.g. embryonic development, organ formation, and diseases). In the context of cancer metastasis, the mechanical activity of cancer cells indicates their ability to invade distant organs, while the mechanical properties of the tumor microenvironment can help cancer cells to survive and establish secondary tumors. In the “Cancer Biomechanics” group, we seek to understand the role of mechanics in the formation of metastatic tumors, the physical crosstalk between cancer cells and tumor microenvironment, and the impact of mechanical forces during anti-cancer immunological processes. We use advanced optical techniques – Brillouin microscopy and Optical Coherence Elastography – to quantify mechanical properties of cells and tissues, in combination with biophysical methods, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) and cell stretching. Our goal is to advance our understanding of cancer mechanics, develop optical methodologies to quantify mechanics in cancer, and propose new therapeutic approaches with the help of physics.