WHAT IS AN OSMOTIC ENGINE?

Cells have been previously thought to rely on actin and myosin-driven modes for motility in the cell. Some cancer cells, however, even with these modes of transport affected, such as being in small microenvironments or having those mechanisms altered, can still translocate within the body. New research suggests that this phenomenon is caused by the cell being able to use osmosis to it’s own advantage, thus propelling itself by osmotic principles [7]. The cell is able to polarize itself, and distribute both active and passive ion channels on its leading edge and aquaporins on its distal end and thus use water within the body to transport [7,9]. This method for cell movement is actin and myosin dependent, and is a possible explanation for some metastasis in small microchannels in the body, such as breast tissue ducts, that were thought to be too small to allow cell migration [10]. This important finding also expands the model of the movement of cells, meaning that there is now a more complete view of the ways a cell can move in the body and how these methods may integrate to form a better model for the cell in the             body [9,10].