Vascular Protrusions Trap Circulating Tumor Cells, Suggesting Anti-Metastasis Target
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Circulating tumor cells, the seeds of metastasis, do not arrest randomly in the vasculature. Using a multiscale microfluidic platform with live imaging and controlled perfusion, researchers show that CTCs preferentially lodge at protruding vascular geometries, including bifurcations, sharp corners and positively curved segments. At these hotspots, a viscoelastic polymer-like network assembles that captures the cells and supports multicellular aggregation, with the network stretching and recoiling even under laminar flow. Computational fluid dynamics ties the hotspots to local perturbations in velocity and pressure. Knockdown of DSG2 and ITGB3 reduces CTC retention at these sites, identifying the desmoglein-2 and integrin beta-3 axis as a candidate anti-metastasis strategy. The findings are reported in a bioRxiv Cancer Biology preprint dated October 16, 2026, and have not yet undergone peer review.
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- biorxiv.orgProtruding Geometry Provides Potential Homing Sites of Circulating Tumor Cells
Circulating tumor cells preferentially arrest at protruding vascular geometries, including bifurcations, sharp corners and positively curved segments, shown using a multiscale microfluidic platform with live imaging and controlled perfusion. At these hotspots a viscoelastic polymer-like network assembles that captures CTCs and supports multicellular aggregation, stretching and recoiling even under laminar flow. Knockdown of DSG2 and ITGB3 reduces retention, pointing to a potential anti-metastasis strategy, with computational fluid dynamics linking hotspots to velocity and pressure perturbations.
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