Abstract
The structure of tumors can be recapitulated as an elastic frame formed by the connected cytoskeletons of the cells invaded by interstitial and intracellular fluids. The low-frequency mechanics of this poroelastic system, dictated by the elastic skeleton only, control tumor growth, penetration of therapeutic agents, and invasiveness. The high-frequency mechanical properties containing the additional contribution of the internal fluids have also been posited to participate in tumor progression and drug resistance, but they remain largely unexplored. Here we use Brillouin light scattering to produce label-free images of tumor microtissues based on the high-frequency viscoelastic modulus as a contrast mechanism. In this regime, we demonstrate that the modulus discriminates between tissues with altered tumorigenic properties. Our micrometric maps also reveal that the modulus is heterogeneously altered across the tissue by drug therapy, revealing a lag of efficacy in the core of the tumor. Exploiting high-frequency poromechanics should advance present theories based on viscoelasticity and lead to integrated descriptions of tumor response to drugs.
- Received 7 June 2018
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.018101
© 2019 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Mapping a Tumor’s Mechanical Properties with Light
Published 8 January 2019
A new experiment uses a light probe to measure the mechanical response of a tumor, which provides information about its anatomy and the efficacy of therapeutic agents.
See more in Physics