The mechanobiology of extracellular nanovesicles in the context of cancer
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Uppsala universitet - Institutionen för elektroteknik |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 993 800 |
| Project duration | November 2024 - October 2025 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Preparation projects for international application within health |
| Call | Towards deeper collaboration with UK and USA partners within Health and Life Science |
Purpose and goal
The biomechanics of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a type of lipid encapsulated nanovesicles released by cells, remains unexplored despite the intriguing evidence of their capacity to participate in long-distance cell-to-cell communication. The goal of this project is to pave the way for a larger initiative aiming to develop a broader understanding of EV-mechanobiology, which relates to the reciprocity of mechanical and biological interactions, in the context of cancer.
Expected effects and result
The project will allow to build methods and protocol to study EV-biomechanics and develop a multidisciplinary international consortium to study the mechanobiological aspects on EVs in cancer. The preliminary results and the collaborations will be used to seek international funding to further consolidate the research area.
Planned approach and implementation
A suitable method that can accurately quantify the elastic properties of EVs has been lacking. We have successfully addressed the issue with a new method. The application of the method on the biomimetic model cancer cell-line system that Stott laboratory has developed will help us to validate the proof-of-principle while revealing the contribution of tissue stiffness on EV-elasticity. We shall then use the pre-study to develop larger consortium and seek new funding through NIH program.