Publication details
Generation and validation of a rapid robust technique to quantify the invasiveness of cancer cells based on their physical properties
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Research and development projects |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | We developed and validated a robust, label-free method for quantifying mechanical properties of adherent cells under defined shear stress as a proxy for invasiveness. The approach integrates a custom-built fluidic system delivering controlled laminar flow with quantitative phase imaging (QPI), enabling non-invasive visualization of cellular deformation in real time. Morphological changes are extracted from phase profiles and analyzed using an analytical viscoelastic model to estimate apparent shear modulus and time-dependent response. To refine the accuracy of mechanical parameter estimation, we implemented a computational modeling framework based on fluid–structure interaction (FSI), combining OpenFOAM and FEniCS, coupled via the preCICE library. This allowed direct comparison between simplified analytical solutions and full numerical simulations, quantifying the influence of geometric and rheological approximations. One-way coupling was identified as the optimal trade-off between fidelity and computational efficiency for batch analysis of multiple cells. The method was experimentally validated on adherent cell models subjected to pharmacological cytoskeletal perturbation, demonstrating reproducibility and sensitivity to known modulators of cellular stiffness. The platform offers a scalable and accessible alternative to atomic force microscopy or microfluidics-based deformation cytometry, particularly suitable for mechanobiological screening and phenotyping studies. The fluidic control system is fully documented and open-source, with Python-based software available at: https://github.com/tomasvicar/Flowmeter_and_pump_control |
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