Using smart bioelectronic devices to capture and release tumor cells

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in cancer, occurring when a cell leaves the primary tumour, passes into the bloodstream and lymphatic system and reaches distant organs. Non-invasive collection of these circulating tumour cells is essential for the study of cell biology, the diagnosis and prognosis in cancer research, and drug development.

How Metastatic Cancer Causes Leaky Blood Vessels

In APL Bioengineering, researchers examine the local communication between endothelial cells and tumors cells and its effects on endothelial cell orientation. The approach uses co-cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells and breast epithelial tumor cell lines to simulate the tumor-endothelial interaction. The group found the clockwise chirality of the hUVECs was less affected by local hormone signaling and more so by direct physical contact with tumor cells. Specific proteins on the tumor cell binding to others on endothelial cells appeared to play a role in changing the clockwise chirality of hUVECs.

Cell competition may explain cancer relapses, UT Southwestern research suggests

A normal process called cell competition, in which healthy tissues eliminate unhealthy cells, could be responsible for cancer relapses in patients months or years after they were declared cancer-free