Project description
Mechanical forces that create metastatic cancer cells
Metastatic cells disassociate from a primary tumour to form secondary tumours that usually prove to be more aggressive and fatal. The EU-funded FanCy project proposes a multidisciplinary approach, combining engineering, chemistry, biophysics and cell biology to identify the mechanistic pathways of metastases. The objective of this proposal is to understand when, how, and why metastatic cells detach from a tumour. Cells in tissue are very densely packed, locking them in place, a state referred to as jammed. The jammed cells can become fluidised locally and flow when pushed or deformed. Greater forces can turn the entire tissue into a fluid-like state, referred to as yielding. The project aims to answer crucial questions: how does tissue yield, and what biophysical mechanisms lead to yielding?
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
Host institution
2628 CN Delft
Netherlands
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Beneficiaries (1)
2628 CN Delft
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