Tissue Fluidification in Pathophysiology: Contact Percolation Sets Phase Transitions - Lecture

Explore the process of tissue fluidification in pathophysiology and its role in cancer progression through this 38-minute conference talk by Giorgio Scita at the Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematics and Physics. Delve into the concept of unjamming, a tissue-level phase transition from solid-like to liquid-like states associated with invasive cancer cell development. Examine the biomolecular mechanisms behind unjamming and its pathophysiological significance using physical approaches and various model systems. Investigate how endocytic-driven phase transitions between "solid" and "liquid" states of cell collectives contribute to cell migration in pathology, with a focus on early breast cancer lesion progression. Learn about the dynamic changes accompanying phase transitions, including long-range coordinated motion and local cell rearrangement, and their effects on matrix remodeling, local invasion, and mechanical stress on cell nuclei. Discover the profound transcriptional rewiring associated with these changes, including the activation of inflammatory responses and the emergence of malignant traits. Explore the impact of mechano-heterogeneity on tissue-level jamming transitions and the role of contact percolation in collective migratory behavior and inflammatory gene transcription in normal and breast carcinoma models.