Multiscale mechanical analysis of live breast cancer spheroids by micro-compression and Brillouin imaging

Recent developments in cancer mechanobiology have highlighted the importance of tumour mechanics as a potential marker of disease progression. Three-dimensional tumour models provide simplified yet physiological relevance exhibiting mechanical heterogeneity. However, comprehensively capturing both bulk and localised biomechanical properties remains challenging. In this study, triple negative breast cancer live spheroids were assessed through non-invasive Brillouin microscopy as well as micro-compression testing which provide maps of microscale mechanical heterogeneity and bulk-scale mechanical assessment, respectively. Together, these approaches form a multi-scale mechanical framework that may improve the interpretation of disease-related mechanical changes and support cancer treatment discovery.