The viscoelastic properties of cells are an essential physical parameter in many biological processes. A crucial example is the softening of cancer cells during the metastatic cascade. The drivers behind the change in cell mechanics are still not fully understood and the mechanical properties of the substrate, the ECM, and crosstalk with other cells often influence measurements of cell mechanics. We used the optical stretcher (OS), a dual laser beam trap, to measure the active and passive viscoelastic properties of cancer cells in suspension. We compare cancerous cells with and without co-culturing them with adipose tissue cells. With this assay, we can investigate the impact of the cellular crosstalk between the cancerous and adipose tissue cells on the physical properties of cells, thereby disentangling it from any substrate effects. Our goal is to understand how cancer cells are able to migrate through soft fatty tissue and what mechanical properties are essential during this process.
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