Cancer progression is associated with alternations in the cytoskeletal architecture of cells and, consequently, their mechanical properties such as stiffness. Changing the mechanics of cells enables cancer cells to migrate and invade to distant organ sites. This process, metastasis, is the main reason for cancer-related mortality. Cell migration is an essential step towards increasing the invasive potential of cells. Although many studies have shown that the migratory speed and the invasion of cells can be inversely correlated to the stiffness of cells, some other investigations indicate opposing results. In the current work, based on the strain energy stored in cells due to the contractile forces, we defined an energy-dependent term, migratory index, to approximate how changes in the mechanical properties of cells influence cell migration required for cancer progression. Cell migration involves both cell deformation and force transmission within cells. The effects of these two parameters can be represented equally by the migratory index. Our mechanical modelling and computational study show that cells depending on their shape, size and other physical parameters have a maximum migratory index taking place at a specific range of cell bulk elasticity, indicating the most favourable conditions for invasive mobility. This approximate model could be used to explain why the stiffness of cells varies during cancer progression. We believe that the stiffness of cancer or malignant cells depending on the stiffness of their normal or non-malignant counterparts is either decreased or increased to reach the critical condition in which the mobility potential of cells is approximated to be maximum.

With the advancement of nanotechnology, the nano-bio-interaction field has emerged. It is essential to enhance our understanding of nano-bio-interaction in different aspects to design nanomedicines and improve their efficacy for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Many researchers have extensively studied the toxicological responses of cancer cells to nano-bio-interaction, while their mechanobiological responses have been less investigated. The mechanobiological properties of cells such as elasticity and adhesion play vital roles in cellular functions and cancer progression. Many studies have noticed the impacts of cellular uptake on the structural organization of cells and, in return, the mechanobiology of human cells. Mechanobiological changes induced by the interactions of nanomaterials and cells could alter cellular functions and influence cancer progression. Hence, in addition to biological responses, the possible mechanobiological responses of treated cells should be monitored as a standard methodology to evaluate the efficiency of nanomedicines. Studying the cancer-nano-interaction in the context of cell mechanics takes our knowledge one step closer to designing safe and intelligent nanomedicines. In this review, we briefly discuss how the characteristic properties of nanoparticles influence cellular uptake. Then, we provide insight into the mechanobiological responses that may occur during the nano-bio-interactions, and finally, the important measurement techniques for the mechanobiological characterizations of cells are summarized and compared. Understanding the unknown mechanobiological responses to nano-bio-interaction will help with developing the application of nanoparticles to modulate cell mechanics for controlling cancer progression.

Digital manufacturing (DM) holds great potential for microfluidics, but requirements for embedded conduits and high resolution beyond the capability of common manufacturing equipment, and microfluidic systems' dependence on peripheralshave limited its adoption. Capillaric circuits (CCs) are structurally encoded, self‐contained microfluidic systems that operate and self‐fill via precisely tailored hydrophilicity. CCs are heretofore hydrophilized in a plasma chamber, but which offers only transient hydrophilicity, lacks reproducibility, and limits CC design to open surface channels subsequently sealed with tape. Here, the additive DM of monolithic, fully functional, and intrinsically hydrophilic CCs is reported. CCs are 3D printed with commonly available light‐engine‐based 3D printers using poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate‐based ink co‐polymerized with hydrophilic acrylic acid crosslinkers and optimized for hydrophilicity and printability. A new, robust capillary valve design and embedded conduits with circular cross‐sections that prevent bubble trapping are presented, interwoven circuit architectures created, and CC use illustrated with an immunoassay. Finally, the external paper capillary pumps are eliminated by directly embedding the capillary pump in the chip as a porous gyroid structure, realizing fully functional, monolithic CCs. Thence, a digital file can be made into a CC by commonly available 3D printers in less than 30 min enabling low‐cost, distributed DM of fully functional ready‐to‐use microfluidic systems.

This study demonstrates the fabrication of high‐strength, lightweight polymer‐derived ceramics (PDCs) using silicon oxycarbide (SiOC)‐precursor formulations with liquid crystal display (LCD) vat photopolymerization (VPP) technology. Complex geometries, such as gyroids and stochastic lattices, are successfully 3D‐printed and evaluated under varying feature thicknesses and pyrolysis temperatures (800 °C and 1200 °C). Photorheology and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) validated the efficient curing and pyrolysis characteristics of a printable precursor formulation based on vinyl methoxysiloxane homopolymer (VMM‐010), which demonstrated rapid curing, low viscosity, and compatibility with LCD 3D printing, ensuring precise layering and efficient resin removal. Micro‐CT scans confirmed its structural integrity and absence of voids, even in relatively thick components (≈3 mm). The VMM‐based PDC lattices achieved specific compressive strengths up to 9.4 MPa g⁻¹ cm³, a 50‐fold improvement over comparable lattices produced with a high‐porosity SiOC PDC, and exceptional high‐temperature stability, maintaining structural integrity after 2 h at 1500 °C. Compositional analysis revealed lower free carbon content and improved ceramic phase formation, driving the enhanced mechanical and thermal performance of the VMM‐based ceramic. These findings underscore the scalability, reliability, and superior performance of VMM formulations for LCD 3D printing, offering new possibilities for high‐performance ceramic applications in aerospace, automotive, and biomedical industries.

In the ancient traditional Indian Ayurvedic system of natural healing, gold nanoparticles (Swarna Bhasma, gold ash) have been used for its therapeutic benefits as far back as 2500 B.C. Ayurvedic medicinal preparations are complex mixtures that include many plant-derived products and metals. Bhasmas date as far back as the 8th century and are made by samskaras (processings), such as shodhana (purification and potentiation), jarana (roasting), and marana (incineration, trituration) in the presence of plant products, including juices and concoctions. Previous studies characterized the physical properties of gold ash, and the mechanisms of its entry into human cells, but only preliminary data exist on its toxicity. Before using nanoparticles for therapeutic application, it is extremely important to study their toxicity and cellular internalization. In the present study, various imaging techniques were used to investigate Swarna Bhasma's (gold nanopowder) toxicity in both cancerous and noncancerous cells (HeLa and HFF-1) and to characterize its spectral properties. The results showed that gold ash particles had no impact on the cellular viability of both HeLa and HFF-1 cells, even at high concentrations or long incubation times. Moreover, it was found that the internalization level of Swarna Bhasma to cells may be improved by mechanical breaking of the large aggregates into smaller agglomerates. Hyperspectral images revealed that after breaking, the small agglomerates have different spectral properties in cells, compared to the original aggregates, suggesting that size of particles is instrumental for the subcellular interaction with human cells.