Cancer Cell Footprinting and Exploration in Micropatterned Fibrinogen Mazes*

During metastasis, cancer cells utilize the surrounding Extracellular Matrix (ECM) to grow and move. Tumors actively remodel surrounding ECM to promote this migration. In this study, we placed MDA-MB-231 cancer cells onto 2-dimensional micropatterned fibrinogen coated coverslips with circular maze structure. The maze connectivity and cell density were both varied as a model for local cancer environments within ECM. Simulations were also completed to model the cells as active particles with random walk, tuning the properties of particle adhesion and maze structure to compare with cellular migration and test for self-guided motion. Results suggest that some cells are weakly interacting, however they tend to develop footprints quickly after adhering to fibrinogen. Cells then use each other's footprints as local bridges towards new locations. Other cells tend to be highly migratory with stochastic behavior which more closely matches simulations. Future directions of this work may include seeding cells in a centralized location on the fibrinogen maze to better model metastasis, as well as testing cancer cell interaction with immune cells on fibrinogen mazes.