Cancer metastasis remains a critical area of study within the field of cancer research. The tumor microenvironment (TME), comprising various cell types and the extracellular matrix (ECM), plays a...Show moreCancer metastasis remains a critical area of study within the field of cancer research. The tumor microenvironment (TME), comprising various cell types and the extracellular matrix (ECM), plays a pivotal role in controlling tumor initiation and progression. Here we show an investigation into the mechanical phenotype of Hs 578T breast cancer cells within the TME, focusing particularly on the role of cell-ECM interactions in modulating cellular traction forces. Hs 578T cells with an integrin- α2 (ITGA2) stable knockout were utilized, and the resulting pressures were compared between the control and knockout at different collagen concentrations. Attention is hence given to the ITGA2 and its role in mediating cell-ECM interactions. Through the utilization of elastic hydrogel microparticles as localized stress sensors and advanced microscopy techniques, we show that increasing the collagen concentration results in increased traction forces exerted by control breast cancer cells. Conversely, the traction forces by ITGA2 Hs 578T knockout cells remain unaffected by changes in collagen concentration. Also, a linear relationship between the traction and its standard deviation, regardless of the Hs 578T cell type and collagen concentration, is observed. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of cancer biomechanics, offering insights into potential therapeutic targets for inhibiting metastatic spread in breast cancer.Show less
We have investigated the buckling and snapping unstabilities of beams with a slit, both experimentally and numerically, for different geometries. We find that beams with a slit display non-linear...Show moreWe have investigated the buckling and snapping unstabilities of beams with a slit, both experimentally and numerically, for different geometries. We find that beams with a slit display non-linear symmetry breaking. Specifically they display asymmetric buckled states after symmetrically buckling, a property that can be used in metamaterial design to propagate and amplify symmetry breaking perturbations. We find hysteresis between the "closed" and "open" post-buckling states of the beam and that the transitions between these are snappy. This hysteresis implies that, under compression, these beams are tristable. Exploring two of the states connected by a hysterectic transition, we can regard them as hysterons under a compression field. We find that we can tune the degree of asymmetry as well as the regime where there is hysteresis by modifying the geometrical parameters of the beam. Both the non-linear symmetry breaking and its characteristic as hysterons make beams with a slit useful tools to achieve functionality in metamaterial design.Show less
