"Engineering approaches to analyze tumor-associated ECM dynamics"

Claudia Fischbach-Teschl, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering Cornell University

Abstract:

Microenvironmental conditions contribute to the pathogenesis of cancer, and aberrant extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling plays a key role in this process. However, our understanding of the specific mechanisms by which the ECM promotes cancer is relatively limited. Our lab focuses on the integration of materials science, tissue engineering, and cancer biology approaches to test the role of ECM biological and physical properties in cancer initiation and progression. More specifically, we characterize the effect of tumors on ECM composition, structure, and mechanics and investigate the relevance of these changes to tumor cell behavior both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, we are evaluating whether obesity, a condition commonly associated with an increased risk and worse clinical prognosis for cancer, may promote tumorigenesis by mimicking tumor-like ECM dynamics.