“The Role of Matrix Stiffness in Esophageal Cancer: Mechanism to Translational Therapeutics” 

May 1, 2024
A special seminar organized by IBB's Bioengineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in celebration of BioE Day.
"The Role of Matrix Stiffness in Esophageal Cancer: Mechanism to Translational Therapeutics"
Ricardo Cruz-Acuña, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Cancer Engineering
College of Dental Medicine
Columbia University Medical Center
ABSTRACT:
Clinical studies have found a correlation between extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening and the progression of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), as well as reduced drug delivery and resistance to therapy. However, additional work is needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms of the disease in the context of changes in ECM biomechanics. In my talk, I will first describe the design of an engineered hydrogel as a 3D cancer organoid niche to elucidate the contribution of matrix stiffness on EAC progression. I will then show how we exploited the tunability of our engineered platform to identify potential matrix stiffness-activated therapeutic targets in patient-derived EAC organoids. Importantly, the modular nature of the engineered hydrogel platform allows for potential adaptation to the culture of 3D organoid models of other human diseases.

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