Cancer Biology

The microenvironment of solid tumours is a critical contributor to the progression of tumours and offers a promising target for therapeutic intervention (Cox and Erler, 2011; Barker et al., 2012; Cox et al., 2016; Cox and Erler, 2016). The properties of the tumour microenvironment vary significantly from that of the original tissue in both biochemistry and biomechanics. At present, the complex interplay between the biomechanical properties of the microenvironment and tumour cell phenotype is under intense investigation. The ability to measure the biomechanical properties of tumour samples from cancer models will increase our understanding of their importance in solid tumour biology. Here we report a simple method to measure the viscoelastic properties of tumour specimens using a controlled strain rotational rheometer.

Hydrogel systems composed of purified extracellular matrix (ECM) components (such as collagen, fibrin, Matrigel, and methylcellulose) are a mainstay of cell and molecular biology research. They are used extensively in many applications including tissue regeneration platforms, studying organ development, and pathological disease models such as cancer. Both the biochemical and biomechanical properties influence cellular and tissue compatibility, and these properties are altered in pathological disease progression (Cox and Erler, 2011; Bonnans et al., 2014). The use of cell-embedded hydrogels in disease models such as cancer, allow the interrogation of cell-induced changes in the biomechanics of the microenvironment (Madsen et al., 2015). Here we report a simple method to measure these cell-induced changes in vitro using a controlled strain rotational rheometer.