Bohan Yin

1 Introduction Hydrogels have been widely used in biomedical fields for their biomimetic properties, which closely resemble the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) and provide excellent biocompatibility. However, the advent of programmable hydrogels marks a paradigm shift in material science, transforming these passive, static networks into dynamic, intelligent systems capable of autonomous decision-making and multifunctional performance.

1 Introduction Photothermal therapy (PTT), as a non-invasive cancer treatment strategy, utilizes external illuminants to convert light energy into heat for the purpose of eradicating tumor cells (Hao et al., 2017; Hao et al., 2020a; Yin et al., 2023). The suppression of tumor metastasis and recurrence remains a formidable challenge for single PTT (Chen et al., 2019; Chang et al., 2021).

Abstract Biophysical cues of rigid tumor matrix play a critical role in cancer cell malignancy. We report that stiffly confined cancer cells exhibit robust growth of spheroids in the stiff hydrogel that exerts substantial confining stress on the cells.