How certain cells in the tumor microenvironment build a barrier that controls metastasis
In certain cancers, such as pancreatic or colorectal cancers, tumor cells are surrounded by a capsule of fibroblasts. By combining theoretical physics and cell biology, a new study reveals how, under certain conditions, this capsule can paradoxically allow tumor cells to escape and spread throughout the body.
Published on June 1, 2026, in Nature Materials, this research conducted by scientists at the Jean Perrin Laboratory (LJP), the Physics Laboratory of the École Normale Supérieure (LPENS), and the Cell Biology and Cancer Laboratory (UMR144) sheds new light on tumor progression and opens up new therapeutic avenues.
> For more information, please see the article on the Institut Curie website
Référence : Jacques, C., Perrin, L., Ackermann, J., Bell, S., Zajac, O., Lapierre, A., Anger, L., Hallopeau, C., Pérez-González, C., Balasubramaniam, L., Trepat, X., Ladoux, B., Maitra, A., Voituriez, R., & Vignjevic, D. M. (2026). Fibronectin matrix remodelling modulates the active nematic dynamics of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Nature Materials. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-026-02615-5