Bioengineering paradigms for cell migration in confined microenvironments

Kimberly M Stroka; Zhizhan Gu; Sean X Sun; Konstantinos Konstantopoulos

doi:10.1016/j.ceb.2014.06.001

Bioengineering paradigms for cell migration in confined microenvironments

Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2014 Oct:30:41-50. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2014.06.001. Epub 2014 Jun 26.

Authors

Kimberly M Stroka¹, Zhizhan Gu¹, Sean X Sun², Konstantinos Konstantopoulos³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences - Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
² Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences - Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
³ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences - Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. Electronic address: konstant@jhu.edu.

Abstract

Cell migration is a fundamental process underlying diverse (patho)physiological phenomena. The classical understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cell migration has been based on in vitro studies on two-dimensional substrates. More recently, mounting evidence from intravital studies has shown that during metastasis, tumor cells must navigate complex microenvironments in vivo, including narrow, pre-existing microtracks created by anatomical structures. It is becoming apparent that unraveling the mechanisms of confined cell migration in this context requires a multi-disciplinary approach through integration of in vivo and in vitro studies, along with sophisticated bioengineering techniques and mathematical modeling. Here, we highlight such an approach that has led to discovery of a new model for cell migration in confined microenvironments (i.e., the Osmotic Engine Model).

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Bioengineering*
Cell Culture Techniques
Cell Movement*
Humans
Models, Biological
Neoplasms / pathology
Tumor Microenvironment

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding