当前的癌症治疗方法，如化疗、放疗、免疫治疗和手术，虽然效果积极，但对转移性肿瘤通常不起作用。通过使用生物工程化的癌症陷阱，通常采用装有趋化因子的材料，可以吸引浸润型癌细胞，防止其不受控制地扩散，并有可能实现根除。然而，封装的化学物质可能对其他细胞产生不良影响，生成的梯度可能会发生不可预知的变化。在这里，我们报道了一种基于机械棘轮结构的癌症陷阱的开发，用于捕获转移性肿瘤细胞。该陷阱使用一系列非对称的局部特征，机械性地吸引癌细胞并指导其长时间迁移。与各向同性或逆向异向棘轮结构相比，陷阱的捕获效率在扩散的癌细胞和肿瘤球体上均更高。重要的是，陷阱在针对非转移性和非肿瘤性细胞时表现出较低的效果，突出了其对捕获高侵袭性癌细胞的特殊适应性。总体而言，这种原始方法可能在抗击癌症方面具有治疗意义，并且还可以用于控制其他生物过程中的细胞运动性。意义陈述：目前的癌症治疗在治疗转移性肿瘤方面存在局限性，癌细胞可能侵入远处器官。携带趋化因子的生物材料可植入体内，吸引和捕获转移性细胞，防止不受控制的扩散。但封装的化学物质可能对其他细胞产生不良影响，而梯度可能发生不可预测的变化。本文提出了一种基于机械棘轮结构的“癌症陷阱”概念，用于捕获转移性肿瘤细胞，捕获效率和稳定性优于先前研究的方法。这种创新方法在对抗癌症，特别是治疗转移性肿瘤方面具有重要的临床意义。此外，它还可以应用于控制其他生物过程中的细胞运动性，为生物医学和组织工程学开辟了新的可能性。版权©2023年作者。由Elsevier Ltd.发表。保留所有权利。

Current treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and surgery, have positive results but are generally ineffective against metastatic tumors. Treatment effectiveness can be improved by employing bioengineered cancer traps, typically utilizing chemoattractant-loaded materials, to attract infiltrating cancer cells preventing their uncontrolled spread and potentially enabling eradication. However, the encapsulated chemical compounds can have adverse effects on other cells causing unwanted responses, and the generated gradients can evolve unpredictably. Here, we report the development of a cancer trap based on mechanical ratchet structures to capture metastatic cells. The traps use an array of asymmetric local features to mechanically attract cancer cells and direct their migration for prolonged periods. The trapping efficiency was found to be greater than isotropic or inverse anisotropic ratchet structures on either disseminating cancer cells and tumor spheroids. Importantly, the traps exhibited a reduced effectiveness when targeting non-metastatic and non-tumorigenic cells, underscoring their particular suitability for capturing highly invasive cancer cells. Overall, this original approach may have therapeutic implications for fighting cancer, and may also be used to control cell motility for other biological processes. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: : Current cancer treatments have limitations in treating metastatic tumors, where cancer cells can invade distant organs. Biomaterials loaded with chemoattractants can be implanted to attract and capture metastatic cells preventing uncontrolled spread. However, encapsulated chemical compounds can have adverse effects on other cells, and gradients can evolve unpredictably. This paper presents an original concept of "cancer traps" based on using mechanical ratchet-based structures to capture metastatic cancer cells, with greater trapping efficiency and stability than previously studied methods. This innovative approach has significant potential clinical implications for fighting cancer, particularly in treating metastatic tumors. Additionally, it could be applied to control cell motility for other biological processes, opening new possibilities for biomedicine and tissue engineering.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.