Transport of cancer cells in shear flows*

We investigate the potential link between fluid shear stress and cancer metastasis. Our preliminary work (Akerkouch et al., Ann Biomed Eng 51, 1199–1215 (2023)) suggested a potential link between cancer cell growth and the fluid flow pattern. The cancer cells were seeded on the surface of a nanoclay-based bone scaffold, which is subjected to a shear flow in a perfusion bioreactor. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models are constructed from the Computed Tomography data to determine the velocity and shear stress distributions on the scaffold’s surface. Our preliminary results show distinct differences in the growth pattern of human stem cells (hMSCs) and prostate cancer (MDAPCa2b) cells under static and dynamic flow conditions. This preliminary data suggests that the dynamic flow leads to a drastic change in cell morphology and tumorous distribution. Our work suggests a potential link between tumor growth and local interstitial flows in bones. Based on this initial result, we have developed a mechanical model of cancer cells based on Dissipative Particles Dynamics method to model the cell membrane, cytosol fluid, and the nucleus. The Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) is employed to represent the interaction between the membrane surface and the blood plasma. Our simulations demonstrate the richness of morphological dynamics of cancer cells under shear flows in micro-channels.  Our findings suggest that cancer cells might exhibit large deformation when they are transported in flow, which might lead to local damages in the cytoskeleton and the nucleus.