Lighting Up Premetastatic Niche Using Magnetic Particle Spectroscopy for Highly Sensitive Detection of Extracellular Matrix Viscoelasticity

Motivation: Premetastatic niche (PMN) and metastatic niche are the 2 crucial steps in cancer metastasis. However, most techniques only detect the second step when secondary tumors have been formed. Goal(s): Extracelluar matrix remodelling (rECM) exhibits subtle but significant viscoelastic changes, indicating the fomation of PMN. Here we address the question of whether rECM could be detected by magnetic particle spectroscopy using a novel method. Approach: We puposed and validated the harmonic phase shift detection in an in-house COM-MPS system for quantification of tissue viscosity. Results: In initial experiments, the sensitivity in detecting tissue viscosity was between 0.5mPa~10.03 mPa using an in-house COM-MPS system. Impact: With such a low-cost and portable COM-MPS device, this technique has potential to provide a sensitive and convenient method to identify rECM at the early stage of tumor metastasis or before the formation of secondary tumors.