Our research

Cancer cells and their surrounding tissue are characterised by altered biomechanical properties. So far, it is not well understood how precisely these mechanical changes affect the cells’ metastatic potential in vivo. We address this question by mechanically characterising tumour samples to instruct physiologically relevant 3D in vitro models. The latter are employed in combination with in vivo models to systematically study the role of cell and microenvironment stiffness on tumour spheroid growth, invasion, drug resistance, and metastasis. We aim at elucidating mechanisms by which cells sense their mechanical environment in 3D and how this can be potentially exploited for new therapeutic approaches.