Recent years have seen rapid expansion of the capabilities
to recreate in vivo conditions using in vitro microfluidic assays.
A wide range of single cell and cell population behaviors can now
be replicated, controlled and imaged for detailed studies to gain
new insights. Such experiments also provide useful fodder for
computational models, both in terms of estimating model parameters
and for testing model-generated hypotheses. Our experiments have
focused in several different areas.
1) Single cell migration experiments in 3D collagen gels have
revealed that interstitial flow can lead to biased cell migration
in the upstream direction, with important implications to cancer
invasion. We show this phenomenon to be a consequence of
integrin-mediated mechanotransduction.
2) Endothelial cells seeded in fibrin gels form perfusable
vascular networks within 2-3 days through a process termed
“vasculogenesis”. The process by which cells sense their
neighbours, extend projections and form anastomoses, and
generate interconnected lumens can be observed through time-lapse
microscopy.
3) These vascular networks, once formed, can be perfused with
medium containing cancer cells that become lodged in the
smaller vessels and proceed to transmigrate across the endothelial
barrier and invade into the surrounding matrix. High resolution
imaging of this process reveals a fascinating sequence of events
involving interactions between a tumour cell, endothelial cells,
and underlying matrix. These three examples will be presented
with a view toward gaining new insights through computational
modelling of the associated phenomena.
Seminar series
Date
Fri, 13 Sep 2013
Time
11:00 -
12:00
Location
L4
Speaker
Professor Roger Kamm
Organisation
Massachusetts Institute of Technology