Prof. Konstantinos Konstantopoulos, Johns Hopkins University
January 31, 2013
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Integrating Engineering and Biology in Cancer Research
Abstract:
Cancer metastasis is a highly orchestrated multistep process, in which cancerous cells separate from a primary tumor and migrate across blood vessel walls into the circulatory system where they interact extensively with host cells before they lodge and colonize the target organ. This seminar will provide an example of a multidisciplinary approach integrating engineering fundamentals with concepts and techniques from biochemistry, biophysics and cell biology in order to better understand two key steps of the metastatic cascade: (a) the adhesive interactions of tumor cells in the circulation and (b) their migration through tissues. Specifically, it will emphasize the importance of the fluid dynamic environment in regulating the adhesion process of metastatic cancerous cells to host cells. In view of the critical role of a family of adhesion molecules called selectins in metastasis, the seminar will discuss our approach for the identification and functional characterization of selectin-binding molecules on tumor cells, and also outline how this information could lead to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The seminar will also challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the mechanisms of cell migration, which has primarily been derived from studies on unconfined 2-dimensional (2D) extracellular matrices, and discuss how physical confinement alters the molecular machinery for tumor cell migration.
Date posted
Jun 17, 2019
Date updated
Jun 17, 2019