A theoretical study of dielectrophoretic effects on septins during cytokinesis under tumor treating fields

This study investigates how Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) disrupt tumor cell division by exerting dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces on septins, key proteins in cytokinesis. Computational models show that TTFields induce negative DEP forces, displacing septins away from the cleavage furrow. A three-phase electrode configuration was 11.2% more effective at displacing septins than an orthogonal setup. The findings suggest TTFields interfere with cytokinesis by causing septin mislocalization, which likely disrupts the contractile ring and midbody. This offers a novel mechanism and suggests that enhancing these nDEP forces by tailoring electric field configurations could improve future cancer therapies.