Researchers at Rice Univ. and Univ. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center have developed a way to mimic the conditions under which cancer
tumors grow in bones.
By placing cancer cells in a 3-D scaffold and subjecting them to the
forces that push, pull and continually flow through the body, the
researchers are better able to test the efficiency of cancer-fighting
drugs.
The scientists discovered that bone tumors exposed to normal forces
express more of a protein, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), than
detected in static cultures. The IGF-1 signaling pathway plays a
critical role in resistance to current chemotherapy. The experiments
were performed in a custom-made bioreactor by the Rice lab of
bioengineer Antonios Mikos in collaboration with the MD Anderson lab of
Joseph Ludwig.
“Mechanical forces are present in our bodies even though we are not
always aware of them,” he said. “Our cells are sensitive to the forces
around them and change their behavior accordingly. Tumor cells behave
the same way, changing their function depending on the forces they
sense.”
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