Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/12/2011
11:45 am - 12:35 pm

Our research is focused on how the mechanical features underlying malignant cells at the luminal interface influence tumor spread.  The theory behind this project is that under normal circumstances cells in the colon, including colonic stem cells, follow a strict mechanical axiswherein they migrate from the bottom of the crypt to the top.  In the setting of cancer, the axis is distorted and cells are permitted to move in both a two- and three-dimensional fashion.   As such, significant changes occur in the topography underlying cells on the luminal side of a tumor.  Our data, thus far, suggests that these changes significantly alter mechanosensation and motility of cells and creates a pro-invasive cellular phenotype.