The key to preventing tumor metastasis may be the membrane

A kind of biofilm has the elasticity of a balloon and helps prevent cancer cells from metastasizing.

Now, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States have probed the basement membrane of breast cancer tumors.

Recently, this article, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, may open up a new way to prevent tumor metastasis.

Ming Guo, the lead author of the study and associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, said: "Now we can think of ways to add new materials or drugs to further enhance this hardening effect and increase the toughness of the membrane to prevent cancer cells from breaking through.

In order to measure the characteristics of the film, the scientists used an atomic force microscope (AFM).

Instead, the team used a simple technique, similar to blowing a balloon, to isolate the film and measure its elasticity.

The team plans to measure the properties of the membrane at different stages of cancer development and its behavior around healthy tissues and organs.

Related paper information: http://dx.