Expérimental et théorique
The Challenge: Cancer stands as a global health challenge, responsible for a staggering 25% of all deaths worldwide. Metastasis, the transformation of cancer cells into invasive agents capable of spreading and forming secondary tumors, remains a formidable barrier to defeating cancer. While treatments and therapies have made strides in addressing primary tumors, metastatic disease remains largely incurable, contributing to over 90% of cancer-related deaths. Where Physics Meets Biology: In the last decade, a groundbreaking idea has emerged in biophysics: cancer cells possess a unique trait - they are softer than their healthy counterparts. This implies that the elasticity of cancer cells is lower than that of healthy cells. This characteristic is thought to enable metastatic cells to navigate through the tumor, infiltrate the bloodstream, and ultimately establish secondary tumors. Our Mission: Our mission is to bridge the gap between biophysics and oncology by quantitatively assessing the invasive and metastatic potential of patient-derived cells. This information is crucial for diagnosing the aggressiveness of cancer. What You'll Work On: As an intern in our group, you will have the opportunity to delve into cell biomechanics and cancer research. We are focusing on human breast cancer epithelial cell lines exhibiting varying metastatic potentials. Additional work will be on genetically modified human breast cancer cells using CRISPR technology.