Main Menu (Mobile)- Block
Main Menu - Block
Abstract
Mechanical heterogeneity and collagen topology in tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) hinder nanoparticle (NP) transport and uptake, motivating models that couple NP mechanics with measured tumor mechanics. Non-invasive stiffness mapping (e.g., MR elastography) and histology-derived stiffness inference (STIFMap) enable learning on patientproximal mechanical maps. We introduce MechGNN, a dualgraph framework with cross-attention that represents NPs (core/shell/ligands) and ECM fiber networks as interacting graphs, and embeds physics-informed edge functions derived from Hertzian contact and receptor-ligand binding kinetics to regularize message passing. Using only public re-sources-STIFMap and open SHG collagen images quantified with CT-FIRE/CurveAlign/TWOMBLI-plus open FEM/BD simulations (FEniCS; Brownian dynamics) and open NP/ligand repositories (caNanoLab, BindingDB, IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology), MechGNN achieves a 12−16%reduction in penetration-depth RMSE relative to the strongest baseline on synthetic-from-real ECM testbeds and sustains an 8−13% RMSE gain in leave one tumor type out tests; physics losses reduce constraint violation rates by ≈35%. The pipeline provides a reproducible bridge from measured ECM mechanics to mechanically designable NP properties.
