{"159261":{"#nid":"159261","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Squeezing Ovarian Cancer Cells to Predict Metastatic Potential","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew Georgia Tech research shows that cell stiffness could be a valuable clue for doctors as they search for and treat cancerous cells before they\u2019re able to spread. The findings, which are \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0046609\u0022\u003Epublished\u003C\/a\u003E in the journal PLoS One, found that highly metastatic ovarian cancer cells are several times softer than less metastatic ovarian cancer cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAssistant Professor Todd Sulchek and Ph.D. student Wenwei Xu used a process called atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the mechanical properties of various ovarian cell lines. A soft mechanical probe \u201ctapped\u201d healthy, malignant and metastatic ovarian cells to measure their stiffness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn order to spread, metastatic cells must push themselves into the bloodstream. As a result, they must be highly deformable and softer,\u201d said Sulchek, a faculty member in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. \u201cOur results indicate that cell stiffness may be a useful biomarker to evaluate the relative metastatic potential of ovarian and perhaps other types of cancer cells.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJust as previous studies on other types of epithelial cancers have indicated, Sulchek also found that cancerous ovarian cells are generally softer and display lower intrinsic variability in cell stiffnesss than non-malignant cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESulchek\u2019s lab partnered with the molecular cancer lab of Biology Professor John McDonald, who is also director of Georgia Tech\u2019s newly established Integrated Cancer Research Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is a good example of the kinds of discoveries that only come about by integrating skills and knowledge from traditionally diverse fields such as molecular biology and bioengineering,\u201d said McDonald. \u201cAlthough there are a number of developing methodologies to identify circulating cancer cells in the blood and other body fluids, this technology offers the added potential to rapidly determine if these cells are highly metastatic or relatively benign.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESulchek and McDonald believe that, when further developed, this technology could offer a huge advantage to clinicians in the design of optimal chemotherapies, not only for ovarian cancer patients but also for patients of other types of cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis project was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Award Number CBET-0932510). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF. \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New Research Lists Cell Stiffness as Possible Biomarker"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew Georgia Tech research shows that cell stiffness could be a valuable clue for doctors as they search for and treat cancerous cells before they\u2019re able to spread. The findings, which are published in the journal PLoS One, found that highly metastatic ovarian cancer cells are several times softer than less metastatic ovarian cancer cells.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New Georgia Tech research shows that cell stiffness could be a valuable clue for doctors as they search for and treat cancerous cells before they\u2019re able to spread."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-10-04 10:55:06","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:54","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"159221":{"id":"159221","type":"image","title":"Squeezing Cancer Cells 1","body":null,"created":"1449178896","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:36","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Squeezing Cancer Cells 1","file":{"fid":"195382","name":"13p1000-p5-007.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-007_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-007_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1867947,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13p1000-p5-007_0.jpg?itok=d_bhPgTO"}},"159211":{"id":"159211","type":"image","title":"Squeezing Cancer Cells 2","body":null,"created":"1449178896","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:36","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Squeezing Cancer Cells 2","file":{"fid":"195381","name":"heya8_m23_0000.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/heya8_m23_0000_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/heya8_m23_0000_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":61778,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/heya8_m23_0000_0.jpg?itok=0Wocm7NQ"}},"159231":{"id":"159231","type":"image","title":"Todd Sulchek and John McDonald","body":null,"created":"1449178896","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:36","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Todd Sulchek and John McDonald","file":{"fid":"195383","name":"13p1000-p5-004.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-004_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-004_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2089143,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13p1000-p5-004_0.jpg?itok=m770Dcms"}},"159251":{"id":"159251","type":"image","title":"Todd Sulchek","body":null,"created":"1449178896","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:36","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Todd Sulchek","file":{"fid":"195384","name":"13p1000-p5-006.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-006_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-006_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2264455,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13p1000-p5-006_0.jpg?itok=qZKma9NL"}}},"media_ids":["159221","159211","159231","159251"],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}