Mapping Collective Forces of Lung Cancer Spheroids Using Traction Force Microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Epithelial tissues actively deform their surrounding extracellular matrix mechanically. Traction forces represent an intrinsic mechanism by which cells actively sense and adapt to their extracellular environment, which has been increasingly recognized to play a crucial role in cancer progression, metastasis, and treatment failure. However, current traction force research has predominantly concentrated at the single-cell level, overlooking the multicellular spatio-temporal dynamics and collective effects inherent in cancer as an integrated multi-cellular system. Herein, the collective-level traction forces of cancer spheroids were mapped using traction force microscopy. Our results revealed an inherent spatial distribution pattern of cancer spheroid traction force at the spheroid-substrate

SUBMITTER: Zhang Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12779252 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature