Research
Mechanical adaptability of metastatic cancer cells
Metastatic cancer cells show high plasticity, cellular heterogeneity and mechanical adaptability. These cells have distinct molecular signatures and mechanical properties, which renders them more resilient than healthy cells, allowing them to withstand extreme mechanical forces during metastasis and adapt to diverse environments. Although this molecular heterogeneity is well reported, the mechanisms that regulate it remain unknown. In the “Cancer Biomechanics” group, we study how mechanical cues change the mechanics of metastatic cells as well as how these changes are linked to molecular patterns and contribute to the metastatic potential of cancer cells. We use tumor organoids and develop novel bioengineered 3D tumor models to mimic solid tumors in vitro with high fidelity, thus providing a physiologically relevant system for our mechanical measurements. By combining mechanical physics and molecular biology, we aim to understand how mechanical heterogeneity and cellular plasticity promote metastasis, what the role of the tumor microenvironment is in this process and how we can interfere to control metastatic potential.
Mechano-immunology in cancer research
Several biological functions require interactions between immune and target cells to induce an immunological response. These interactions are regulated by both cell-cell ligand affinity and mechanical forces, necessitating the study of adhesion events and cell mechanics in parallel. In the “Cancer Biomechanics” group, we study:
- dynamic changes in cancer mechanics during cytotoxic immune events
- mechanosensing of immune responses and its molecular regulation
- the effect of TME on tumor immune evasion, 3D immune migration and mechanical forces exerted by immune cells
The aim of our research is to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanics of immune cells and utilize this knowledge to provide novel immunotherapy approaches based on biomechanics.
Optics and photonics in biomechanics
Several biophysical approaches are widely used to quantify the mechanical properties of cells and tissue. However, many of these techniques require the cell to be isolated, cultured on artificial substrates, out of its original context, and probed using intrusive techniques. To overcome these limitations, we implement optical techniques such as Brillouin microscopy, optical elastography and holotomography, to quantify mechanical properties and physical aspects of cancer and stromal cells in a contactless and dynamic manner. Different optical techniques offer different resolutions, ranging from subcellular to multicellular optical resolution, thus providing a quantitative mechanical measurement across scales. Optics allows us to capture dynamic changes in cellular mechanics in situ, as they occur and in a native environment (e.g. tumoroids in their environment), providing access to information that is impossible to capture otherwise. These tools can shed light on fast, dynamic cellular processes and mechanical changes, helping us to understand many biological functions more clearly and providing a more complete picture of cancer biomechanics.
Contact
Research Group Eleni Dalaka
Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin
Kussmaulallee 2
91054 Erlangen, Germany
+49 9131 8284 535
