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How the interplay between the orientations of tumor microenvironment components controls its dynamics
The tumor microenvironment is a complex medium in which multiple components coexist. These include different cell types and the extracellular matrix. Interactions between these components determine the dynamic properties of this mixture. In particular, some of the components may have an orientational order (polar or nematic) that is related to an activity. The alignment or antialignment of these orientations can induce complex dynamics, such as slowing down due to aging processes or, on the contrary, flocking transition or cyclic dynamics. In this talk I will present two experiments and their physical description involving reciprocal and non-reciprocal interactions and some questions they raise.
References :
[1] Jacques, Cécile, et al. "Aging and freezing of active nematic dynamics of cancer-associated fibroblasts by fibronectin matrix remodeling." bioRxiv (2023) : 2023-11.
[2] Bell, Samuel, et al. "Ordering, spontaneous flows and aging in active fluids depositing tracks." arXiv preprint arXiv:2409.05195 (2024).