Biomechanical profile of cancer stem-like/tumor-initiating cells derived from a progressive ovarian cancer model

This study provides insight into the biomechanical profile of cancer stem-like/tumor-initiating cells (CSC/TICs) enriched from progressive stage of murine ovarian surface epithelial (MOSE) cancer cell line. Based on an established model for MOSE cells, on average, the cells exhibit an increasing deformability and biomechanical homogeneity as they transition to more aggressive phenotype. In this study, the results highlight the extremely deformable nature of CSCs/TICs in comparison to the elastic modulus values measured from MOSE cells in the progression of cancer. Furthermore, stiffness profiling provides a suitable screening assay for drug treatment development and efficacy studies with compounds that specifically revert their deformability to a less aggressive phenotype.131