Before a new car rolls onto the road, engineers measure how it reacts to different forces, from passengers plonking into the seats to jarring collisions. Understanding the impact of these forces provides essential insights into the durability and effectiveness of the vehicle and its components—an approach taken for just about every new product, from cell phones to simple bottle flip tops.
Now, Boston University engineer Alexander A. Green wants to do the same kind of force measurement for biological cells, with the goal of one day improving cancer therapies.
He hopes that by tracking the forces involved when cells interact with one another, like in cell-based cancer therapies, he can better control their behavior and pave the way for more potent disease treatments. It’s an out-there, novel idea—and it could fizzle or it could change lives. But Green’s chances of success have just been given a major boost.
