AIBN Virtual Seminar Series: Engineering the in vitro Extracellular Matrix Towards in vivo Relevance

Event Details

Date:

Thursday, 23 July 2020 - Thursday, 23 July 2020

Time:

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm

Room:

Via Zoom Only

URL:

Event category(s):

Full Description:: Since the first publication in 1775, cancer research has built a comprehensive understanding of how cellular components of the tumor niche promote disease development. However, the non-cellular components of tumor microenvironment, particularly the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the biophysical attributes of its microstructures, remain largely unknown. Natural hydrogels have been widely used as ECM mimicking scaffolds in vitro. Though, they are often utilised without tuning their biophysical characteristics towards pathophysiological relevance, thus limiting their broad use within research. We looked at three of the most widely used natural hydrogels, (Matrigel, collagen gel and agarose gel) assessing stiffness, pore size and permeability and compared them to in vivo findings. This research provides valuable insight into the selection and engineering of hydrogels with different physical properties.

Presenter: Ms Anna Cameron, PhD Student, AIBN (Zhao Group)
Anna graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a B.Sc in Mechanical Engineering, followed by a M.Sc in Biomedical Engineering at the Universität zu Lübeck. She is currently in the second year of her PhD within the Zhao Group, producing pathophysiologically relevant Tumor-on-a-Chip devices, to assess the delivery, and uptake, of tumor-targeted therapies.

Registration is free but essential.