Invited Talk

The Intersection of Mechanobiology and Cellular Metabolism in Cancer

Vanderbilt University, School of Engineering, PMB 351631, Nashville, TN, 351631-1631, USA

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Cells undergo mechanical and metabolic changes that help to fuel metastasis. To move, cells utilize ATP to fuel the cellular contractility and forces that sustain migration, however very little is known about how the metabolic state of a cell affects its ability to migrate and vice versa. In this talk, I will describe my lab’s efforts to understand the forces driving cell movements in the tumor microenvironment and the energy required for movement. Combining tissue engineering approaches, mouse models, and patient samples, we create and validate in vitro systems to understand how cells navigate the tumor stroma environment. Microfabrication and native biomaterials are used to build mimics of the paths created and taken by cells during metastasis. Using these platforms, we have described a role for a balance between cellular energetics, cell and matrix stiffness, and confinement in determining migration behavior. Within a cell population, there is significant heterogeneity in energetic states. Cellular energetic state predicts migration path. Cells with higher energy level are more likely to move though confined spaces than cells in a low energy state. Moreover, leader cells exhibit higher energy levels than follower cells. We are pursuing the mechanisms underlying these energetic differences as a means to controlling migration.