PME Distinguished Colloquium: Prof. David Mooney - Matrix Viscoelasticity and Cancer

Changes in matrix stiffness is increasingly appreciated as a key variable in cancer research, but most current work ignores that tissues are viscoelastic, with time-dependent mechanical behavior. Using biomaterials that allow independent control over key variables, we find that the rate of matrix stress relaxation has dramatic effects on stem cell fate, and impacts multiple cell types in the tumor microenvironment, including cancer cells, monocytes, and T cells. Elucidation of the mechanical checkpoints underlying these relations is leading to new strategies to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

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