A novel breast-cancer model of early stage invasion

The majority of breast cancer deaths are not caused by the primary tumor, but by metastasis to other organs. However, the mechanisms that underlie the first stage of metastasis, the invasion of cancer cells into surrounding tissue remain elusive, due to the complexity of the cellular, biochemical, and biophysical interactions in cancer tissue. In this work, we propose a novel in vitro breast cancer model that focuses on dissecting the influence of the biophysical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) on the onset of cancer invasion. Based on microfluidic technology, it will provide us with the necessary tools to independently vary different material and cell properties, while it provides the cells with a physiologically relevant environment.