Ksenia Klementyeva

Master Studentin

Topic: Assessment of pathological properties of cancer cells pre-cultured within 3D tumor-like scaffolds

Betreuer: Dr. A. Leal-Egaña, Prof. A. R. Boccaccini

The development of cancer tumors entails changes of the cell environment. In cancer, cell growth, contraction, deadhesion, scattering and invasion can be observed as part of the pathogenic potential of neoplastic cells. Besides, neoplastic cells entrapped within tumoral tissues can sense the surrounding mechanical properties, yielding heterogeneous populations [1]. The research, carried out at the Institute of Biomaterials, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, will be focused on evaluating the effect of the mechanical stress on the behavior of cancer cells, by analyzing their proliferation, migration capabilities and biomechanical activity in vitro. Mimicking the tumor environment and observing malignant cell behavior may allow us to increase the understanding of this complex disease and to develop new biotechnological tools to handle it.

[1] Leal-Egaña A, Letort G, Martiel J-L, et al. The size-speed-force relationship governs migratory cell response to tumorigenic factors. Gardel M, ed. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 2017;28(12):1612-1621. doi:10.1091/mbc.E16-10-06