Understanding cancer metastasis through the lens of biomechanics: Tsinghua scholar Prof. FENG Xiqiao shares frontier research on cell dynamics

On 20 July 2026, Prof. FENG Xiqiao, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chair Professor at the Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Department of Engineering Mechanics of Tsinghua University, China, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Multiscale Theory and Numerical Methods of Cell Dynamics” on the PolyU campus.  The lecture attracted over 70 attendees in person and nearly 16,200 online viewers across various social media platforms.

In his lecture, Prof. Feng presented recent advances in biomechanics, focusing on the multiscale theories and numerical methods for understanding the dynamic behaviours of cells.  He explained that physiological and pathological processes in living tissues often involve the coordinated interplay of biological, chemical, mechanical and physical factors.  Given the complexity of cellular structures, physical properties and biological functions, developing accurate models to elucidate these processes remains a major scientific challenge.  He also highlighted important research directions in biomechanics, including material properties, instability, evolution, multiscale behaviours, multi-field coupling and morphomechanics.

A central theme of the lecture was dynamic instability in cells and tissues.  Prof. Feng discussed how mechanical and chemical feedback can shape cellular dynamics and give rise to phenomena such as bifurcations, oscillations and pattern formation, including Hopf and pitchfork bifurcations and Turing-like patterns.  Using spontaneous oscillations in Drosophila amnioserosa cells as an example, he illustrated the important role of collective cell oscillations during embryonic development.

The lecture then shifted its focus from the dynamic behaviour of individual cells to collective cell dynamics, covering both experimental and theoretical approaches in the field.  Prof. Feng described how researchers study the geometry, migration speed, trajectories, topology and interface evolution of large cell populations to uncover the underlying principles governing collective behaviour.  He also explained how statistical mechanics and entropy-based theories, including Tsallis statistics, can be applied to investigate active collective cell migration. Such behaviours are highly relevant to understanding the mechanisms underlying cancer cell dissemination and metastasis.

Prof. Feng also discussed recent developments in multiscale modelling and the increasingly important role of AI in biomechanics research.  While AI models such as AlphaFold3 have achieved major breakthroughs in protein structure prediction, he noted that current models remain limited in predicting biological functions and modelling dynamic processes across multiple spatial and temporal scales.  Looking ahead, there is a need to establish integrated databases that bring together data from biology, chemistry and mechanics, while harnessing AI to drive the development of virtual cell and organoid platforms.

Important applications of biomechanics in disease research were also highlighted, particularly in cancer metastasis and immune system biomechanics.  Prof. Feng explained how cancer cells migrate through confined spaces and dynamically adjust their morphology to changing mechanical environments via coupled mechanical, chemical and biological signalling mechanisms.  He also introduced key biomechanical mechanisms of the immune system, highlighting the role of lymph nodes in inflammation, immune responses, immune memory formation and disease progression.

The lecture concluded with an interactive Q&A session moderated by Prof. TAN Youhua, Programme Leader in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at PolyU.