CYTOPHYSICS :: The Mechanical Properties of Cancer Cells

:: Project Overview

The 4DB Center’s overriding goal is to develop a quantitative model describing tumor cell dynamics and dissemination in the microcirculation. Meaningful output from our model is reliant upon the quality of the input variables: the physical and mechanical properties of cancer. However, surprisingly little quantitative information is known about the size, shape and feel of cancer as it travels in the blood or ‘fluid phase.’ Therefore, the first step toward the development of a model of cancer in the metastatic phase will be to establish the fundamental physical parameters of cancer cells in the blood circulation.

Access to a unique population of tissue and blood specimens from colon and lung cancer patients will provide us with the unique opportunity to characterize the physical properties of cancer, which will serve as the measurement foundation for the simulation of what one should see in the patients and the statistical evaluation on the data of what we do see in a patient. We will exploit this combined approach to establish a statistical model and fluid dynamics model for the behavior, survival, and destination of cancer in the vascular system.