WFU Physics Colloquium

TITLE: Cell-Matrix Interactions in Metastatic Cell Migration

SPEAKER: Professor Cynthia Reinhart-King

TIME: Wednesday April 6, 2016 at 4:00 PM

PLACE: Room 101 Olin Physical Laboratory

The solid tumor microenvironment is composed of a complex network of extracellular matrix fibers through which metastatic cells navigate to enter the circulatory system to spread to secondary sites. Cells can move through multiple different modes of migration including either as single cells or as cell clusters to spread from the primary tumor. In doing so, metastatic cells physically probe and remodel their matrix to facilitate their movement through the fibrous tumor microenvironment. In this talk, I will discuss the physical mechanisms by which cells sense the architecture and mechanical properties of their microenvironment to guide cell motion. I will describe novel platforms we have created using principles from tissue engineering and microfabrication to investigate the role of the physical properties of cells and the matrix in migration. Both individual and collective cell motions will be discussed, as both have been shown to be important for metastatic cell migration in vivo. I will also discuss briefly how the physical properties of the tumor microenvironment contribute to blood vessel integrity, a key aspect of metastasis.