New Method Designed to Screen Cancer Cells

Stiffer cells block the pores so that not much liquid can filter through; for squishier cells, more of the cell-and-liquid mixture passes through. The scientists can use parallel microfiltration to test many different small molecules at once by measuring the filtration of fluid into individual compartments.

The team found that drug-resistant human ovarian cancer cells are softer than their drug-sensitive counterparts, and that more-invasive cancer cells are softer than less-invasive ones. In future studies, the investigators hope to establish whether squishier cancer cells are in fact more harmful than stiffer cancer cells, and whether their softness can be reversed.

Amy C. Rowat, PhD, the lead author of the study, said, “We want to screen cells based on their squishiness or stiffness. We created a technology to probe the deformability of hundreds of cell samples at the same time, so we can identify compounds that make the cells stiffer. Our hope is that we can identify new compounds that can help to prevent the spread of cancer.” The study was published on December 2, 2015, in the journal Scientific Reports.

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