{"id":299,"date":"2016-12-01T17:21:14","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T17:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/?p=299"},"modified":"2016-12-01T17:21:14","modified_gmt":"2016-12-01T17:21:14","slug":"sun-lab-cancer-technology-featured-advantage-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/2016\/12\/01\/sun-lab-cancer-technology-featured-advantage-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Sun Lab cancer technology featured in Advantage-Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prof. Bo Sun and student Amani Alobaidi’s work on 3-D tumor modeling technology has been highlighted in an article in Advantage-Impact. <\/a><\/p>\n

\n \"DIGME<\/a>\n
DIGME diskoids shaping the growth of tumor cells. (full caption in article below)<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

Here is the full article<\/p>\n

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DIGME shapes better cancer therapies<\/h2>\n
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A new 3-D tumor modeling technology could drastically change the way cancer is treated.\u00a0Diskoid In Geometrically Micropatterned Extracellular matrix (DIGME) is a tissue-patterning solution that uses a low-cost device to control the shape of tumors \u2014 as well as the directionality and rigidity of their surrounding matrix \u2014 to stop cancer cells from spreading.<\/p>\n

Bo Sun, an assistant professor of physics in Oregon State\u2019s College of Science, says DIGME will help doctors test their own cancer treatments and create new ones. And it could even improve the efficiency of early cancer detection.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, cancer detection is relying on techniques that were developed decades ago,\u201d Sun says. \u201cI think tumor modeling is going to show us the new things we should look at. There may be a different set of metrics that make the accuracy and sensitivity of early detection much better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sun\u2019s device can facilitate development of new cancer treatments by better mimicking the physiological condition of tumors. Oregon State University has filed for a patent and is looking for potential licensees and research collaborators to further develop the technique.<\/p>\n

Understanding how cancer cells spread<\/h4>\n

In order for a cancer cell to dissociate from the main tumor and spread \u2014 also known as metastasis \u2014 it must dig a hole through the extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is the area that surrounds a tumor, which is made up of connective tissues like collagen. It can act as a barrier to keep tumor cells in or out, depending on its porousness.<\/p>\n

For example, an ECM that is very porous provides a soft environment for cancer cells to easily squeeze through and enter other areas of the body. An ECM that is very rigid, on the other hand, provides a barricade that is very difficult for a cancer cell to dig into. However, a rigid ECM also promotes tumor growth;\u00a0therefore the relationship between ECM and cancer is anything but simple. This relationship is one of the central problems of cancer research.<\/p>\n

Modeling tumors<\/h4>\n

Sun\u2019s team worked with standard cancer cell lines in the lab. To shape a tumor, a micro-fabricated stamp is used to create a mold made of collagen. Tumor cells are then suspended in a collagen solution and poured into the mold. The liquid collagen turns into a gel and links to the mold. The device can precisely control the location and rotation of the stamp, creating an exact shape.<\/p>\n

Different tumor shapes equal different clinical outcomes for patients, Sun explains. If a tumor has very high curvature corners, these sharp corners are more likely to become cancer stem cells, which are very invasive and lead to metastasis.<\/p>\n

Changing directions<\/h4>\n

Directionality is an equally important factor. The ECM \u2014 which is covered in polymer fibers \u2014 can be rotated with the help of DIGME technology. When the ECM is polarized \u2014 or given positive and negative charges \u2014 the orientation of those fibers can be rotated circularly, preventing additional cancer cells from disconnecting and spreading throughout the body. Controlling the shape and directionality allows DIGME to create challenging environments for cancer cells, testing their adaptability and understanding how they respond to treatments in complex\u00a0physiological conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cA tumor \u2014 no matter where it starts \u2014 is going to experience many different environments when it metastasizes into many parts of the body,\u201d Sun says. \u201cIf a cell has no way to adapt to this new environment, it is going to stop there and won\u2019t be able to spread.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sun\u2019s research began with the goal of determining how tumors migrate and communicate with one another. Two-and-a-half years later, DIGME has the potential to help save lives.<\/p>\n

For licensing information, please contact Jianbo Hu at\u00a0jianbo.hu@oregonstate.edu<\/a>\u00a0or 541-737-2366.<\/p>\n

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This figure shows a breast cancer cell.<\/p>\n

(A) DIGME consists of a diskoid \u2013 a tumor cell aggregate whose shape is tightly controlled. The example shown in A is a hexagonal diskoid of monolayer thickness. Typical diskoid thickness can range from one\u00a0to five\u00a0cell layers. (B) A triangle diskoid of MDA-MD-231 cells (green) in collagen matrix (labeled with fluorescent particles, blue). Top: top view. Bottom: side view. (C) A MDA-MD-231 diskoid (green) surrounded by two layers of collagen matrix with different concentrations (1.5 mg\/ml, red and 3 mg\/ml, blue). Top inset: the diskoid invasion into the surrounding ECM after five days. Bottom inset: confocal reflection imaging showing distinct fiber microstructures across the interface of two collagen layers. (D) A MDA-MB-231 ring diskoid with its sounding ECM circularly polarized. The configuration mimics the ductal carcinoma in vivo. Scale bars: 200 \u03bcm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Contact Info<\/h2>\n
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Oregon State University Advantage<\/p>\n

Oregon State University
\nA312 Kerr Administration Building
\nCorvallis, OR 97331<\/p>\n

Phone 541-737-3888
\nFax 541-737-9041<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Copyright<\/a> \u00a92016 Oregon State University
\nDisclaimer<\/a><\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prof. Bo Sun and student Amani Alobaidi’s work on 3-D tumor modeling technology has been highlighted in an article in Advantage-Impact. Here is the full article DIGME shapes better cancer therapies A new 3-D tumor modeling technology could drastically change the way cancer is treated.\u00a0Diskoid In Geometrically Micropatterned Extracellular matrix (DIGME) is a tissue-patterning solution… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6866,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2368,3428,523],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty","category-graduate-students","category-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6866"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":301,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299\/revisions\/301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/spectrometer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}