Monte Carlo simulation-guided design for size-tuned tumor spheroid formation in 3D printed microwells.

Tumor spheroid models have garnered significant attention in recent years as they can efficiently mimic in vivo models, and in addition, they offer a more controlled and reproducible environment for evaluating the efficacy of cancer drugs. In this study, we present the design and fabrication of a micromold template to form multicellular spheroids in a high-throughput and controlled-sized fashion. Briefly, polydimethylsiloxane-based micromolds at varying sizes and geometry were fabricated via soft lithography using 3D-printed molds as negative templates.

Stromal cells regulate mechanics of tumour spheroid.

The remarkable contractility and force generation ability exhibited by cancer cells empower them to overcome the resistance and steric hindrance presented by a three-dimensional, interconnected matrix. Cancer cells disseminate by actively remodelling and deforming their extracellular matrix (ECM). The process of tumour growth and its ECM remodelling have been extensively studied, but the effect of the cellular tumour microenvironment (TME) has been ignored in most studies that investigated tumour-cell-mediated ECM deformations and realignment.

Emergent mechanical control of vascular morphogenesis.

Vascularization is driven by morphogen signals and mechanical cues that coordinately regulate cellular force generation, migration, and shape change to sculpt the developing vascular network. However, it remains unclear whether developing vasculature actively regulates its own mechanical properties to achieve effective vascularization. We engineered tissue constructs containing endothelial cells and fibroblasts to investigate the mechanics of vascularization.

Endothelium and Subendothelial Matrix Mechanics Modulate Cancer Cell Transendothelial Migration.

Cancer cell extravasation, a key step in the metastatic cascade, involves cancer cell arrest on the endothelium, transendothelial migration (TEM), followed by the invasion into the subendothelial extracellular matrix (ECM) of distant tissues. While cancer research has mostly focused on the biomechanical interactions between tumor cells (TCs) and ECM, particularly at the primary tumor site, very little is known about the mechanical properties of endothelial cells and the subendothelial ECM and how they contribute to the extravasation process. Here, an integrated experimental and theoretical framework is developed to investigate the mechanical crosstalk between TCs, endothelium and subendothelial ECM during in vitro cancer cell extravasation.

Confinement effect on hydrolysis in small lipid vesicles.

In living organisms most chemical reactions take place within the confines of lipid-membrane bound compartments, while confinement within the bounds of a lipid membrane is thought to be a key step in abiogenesis. In previous work we demonstrated that confinement in the aqueous cavity of a lipid vesicle affords protection against hydrolysis, a phenomenon that we term here confinement effect ( ) and that we attributed to the interaction with the lipid membrane. Here, we show that both the size and the shape of the cavity of the vesicle modulate the .