Projects
As metastatic cancer cells migrate away from primary tumors, they must navigate through environments with complex mechanical properties and biochemical compositions. While these environments are known to affect cellular fates, little is known about how DNA-damaging therapies influence the mechanics of cancer cell migration through these environments. We aim to investigate both the interplay between DNA damage in cancer cells and the mechano-biochemical properties of their local environments, as well as the effects of these factors on cancer cell migration.
Cancer cell-immune cell interactions are common during cancer progression. Specifically, cancer cells subjected to DNA-damaging therapies have been shown to secrete biochemical molecules in their local environments that induce immune cell functions that can either suppress or enhance tumor growth. However, the quantitative relationships between DNA damage in cancer cells, the properties of their local environments, and immune cell recruitment to tumors remain poorly understood. We aim to understand how both DNA damage in cancer cells and the mechano-biochemical properties of tumor microenvironments affect the mechanics of immune cell recruitment to tumors.