PROJECTS

Micro-environment Influence on Cancer Development

We are interested in understanding the micro environment’s involvement in growth and intratumor heterogeneity of breast cancer. First, we intend to understand the contribution from micro environmental factors to the growth of breast cancer. Using Microfluidics technology, we plan to in vitro engineering the breast cancer micro environment inside micro-channels. Using the microfluidics based in vitro experimental platform, we are interested to find tunable micro environmental factors that can be used to control the breast cancer cell growth. 

We are also interested to understand the roles of micro environment factors on developing intratumor heterogeneity in gene expression. Using the results from heterogeneity experiments, we are interested in better understanding the steps of breast cancer development.

Probing the Metastasis 

We are interested to understand key steps of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET). The EMT is responsible for initiation of metastasis and MET is responsible for enabling the proliferation of cancer cells in the metastatic niche. First, we intend to pursue the possibility of reversing the EMT at the primary cancer site for possible inhibition of metastasis. Regarding MET, we are interested in understanding the factors (genes) causing this phenotypic switch, specifically, what changes taking place in genes that are responsible for cell adhesion, cellular growth and morphogenesis. As next step, we intend to understand how MET facilitates proliferation of cancer at the metastatic niche. More specifically, are there MET mediated activation/deactivation of genes in the metastatic niche that promote the proliferation of cancer? we intend to find an answer with strong experimental evidences.