Berlin 2024 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 5: Tissue Mechanics I
BP 5.4: Talk
Monday, March 18, 2024, 15:45–16:00, H 0110
Quantification of Glioblastoma Mechanics in Brain Organoids Using Ferrofluid Droplets — •Michael Frischmann1,2, Elijah R. Shelton1, Achim T. Brinkop1, Sofia Kalpazidou3, Jovica Ninkovic3, and Friedhelm Serwane1,4 — 1Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, LMU Munich, Germany — 2Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Germany — 3Biomedical Center, LMU Munich, Germany — 4SyNergy and GSN, LMU Munich, Germany
Glioblastoma, a highly malignant brain tumor, has a median patient survival of a few months untreated, due to its rapid, infiltrative and destructive growth. Although its molecular biology is well described, knowledge about the mechanical properties and forces that enable its invasive spread is limited. We used cerebral organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and implanted with patient-derived glioblastoma cells as an in vitro model. To measure its viscoelastic properties, ferrofluid droplets were utilized. The mechanical properties were determined from the droplets’ dynamic strain curves via a custom modular analysis pipeline developed in Python. This approach allowed quantifying viscous behavior of the tumor tissue on time scales from seconds to minutes. At short time scales, we determined an elastic modulus of E = (0.96 ± 0.27) kPa, which is consistent with previous elasticity measurements performed in patient tissue. Moreover, we find a long-term viscosity of η = (17.6 ± 3.9) kPa s in the core tumor. A viscoelastic model of glioblastoma enhances our understanding of how brain tumors mechanically affect their environment, which is crucial for targeting the infiltration mechanism.
Keywords: Glioblastoma; Cancer; Cerebral organoid; Ferrofluid droplets