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Natural killer (NK) cells, which are an exciting alternative cell source for cancer immunotherapies, must sense and respond to their physical environment to traffic to and eliminate cancer cells. Herein, we review the mechanisms by which NK cells receive mechanical signals and explore recent key findings regarding the impact of the physical characteristics of solid tumors on NK cell functions. Data suggest that different mechanical stresses present in solid tumors facilitate NK cell functions, especially infiltration and degranulation. Moreover, we review recent engineering advances that can be used to systemically study the role of mechanical forces on NK cell activity. Understanding the mechanisms by which NK cells interpret their environment presents potential targets to enhance NK cell immunotherapies for the treatment of solid tumors.

Hands-on laboratory courses seldom appear in biomedical engineering (BME) graduate programs, thus limiting graduate students' ability to acquire wet laboratory skills like cell culturing. At large, BME graduate programs rely on ad hoc training provided by senior graduate students; however, this method cannot be extended to new or non-BME laboratories, which generally lack senior personnel adequately trained in cell culture techniques. This paper describes a graduate student-led, five-session workshop that introduces cell culture fundamentals to interested students with little to no prior experience. The workshop employs novel teaching techniques, such as near-peer and collaborative learning, to enhance students' understanding and knowledge retention. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this initiative, students assessed their confidence levels with concepts and skills related to cell culture via pre- and post-workshop surveys, where significant improvements in cell culture-related concepts and skills were reported upon completing the workshop. Finally, this paper presents some challenges and reflects on insight gained from this initiative, thus providing a template for implementation at other institutions interested in enriching their graduate student education.