Laser speckle contrast shear wave imaging of three-dimensional cancer metastasis model

Biomechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are important regulators in cell development, including proliferation, apoptosis and migration. Recent studies have shown that stiffening of the ECM resulting from deposition and crosslinking of collagen may promote invasion and migration of tumor cells. In our previous study, a laser speckle contrast shear wave (SW) imaging system was developed, and a feasibility study on non-invasive, non-superficial and exogenous-tracer-free evaluation of the mechanical property of the 3-D cell matrix was performed. In this report, the system is used to measure the stiffness of 3-D cancer metastasis models. We hypothesize that the developed system can provide temporal and spatial information of the cell matrix during cancer progression related to cancer cell migration and metastasis.