The role of the tumor biofilm in determining tissue tropism

Division Of Basic Sciences - Nci

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Metastasis remains a leading cause of mortality for cancer patients. Disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) leave the original tumor to initiate the metastatic cascade. After successful navigation of the circulatory system, a subset of these DTCs then exits via capillaries at a distant site and infiltrate the tissue parenchyma. These DTCs colonize this new environment by poorly understood mechanisms involving adherence, remodeling, and proliferation. The objective of this proposal is to uncover the mechanisms by which a tumor cell can ectopically colonize a tissue that is both chemically and physically different from its original tissue. The genetic factors governing tissue tropism in cancer metastasis have been identified but the contributions of the dynamic interactions between tumor cells, and the microenvironment of the metastasizing cells are not well understood. Here we aim to understand the biophysical mechanisms by which these environmental changes occur, and whether such changes can be reversed or blocked.