Engineering the Extracellular Matrix with DNA-based Molecular Force Sensors

Mechanical forces due to fluid shear stress can promote the metastatic capabilities of cancer cells. However, measuring shear flow in native 3-D tissue environments can be challenging due to the high inhomogeneity of the composition and microarchitecture of the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM). DNA-based molecular sensors have been of particular interest for studying cell interactions due to their high tunability, sensitivity and easy integrability into various biological systems. However, measuring cell-ECM interactions due to fluid flow using these sensors is yet to be achieved.