Mechanosensing directs invasion and morphodynamics of spheroids

Mechanosensing is one way that cells and tumors interact with their local environment. As tumors grow and invade into the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM), they are constantly sensing the ECM to help determine their course of action. Most studies up to date have either been on the single-cell level, or have used organoids as the major tumor model for mechanosensing experiments. By using spheroids as the tumor model, we are able to create a more physiologically relevant model for how tumors react to various mechanical cues in the ECM. By changing both the density and crosslinking of type 1 collagen gels, we are able to create a spectrum of mechanical cues to measure the invasion profiles and morphodynamics of the spheroids. We find that both the invasion profiles and morphodynamics are highly dependent on the stiffness of the ECM.