All day
Place: ICFO Auditorium
Anna Taubenberger (Technische Universität Dresden)
"Adaptations of tumour cell biophysical properties during tumour growth and progression"
Abstract:
Tumours exhibit altered biophysical properties that manifest across spatial scales. Counterintuitively, while at the bulk tissue level solid tumours are often stiffer compared to healthy tissues, individual cancer cells are typically more compliant. So far, contributions of single cell mechanics and collective cell behaviour to the emergent tissue properties remain unclear. Aiming to bridge this gap between single cell and tissue mechanics, we have established different 3D in vitro tumour models comprising established cancer cell lines or patient-derived organoids growing within bioengineered matrices that can be mechanically tailored. When analysing spheroid/organoid multicellular structures by 3D image segmentation, we observed clear changes of nuclear volumes with cluster size and overall architecture. Mapping tumour spheroid/organoid mechanical properties in situ using Brillouin microscopy revealed a positive correlation between spheroid/organoid size and Brillouin frequency shifts, indicating mechanical changes of constituent cells. In addition, tumour cells tuned their cell cycle progression rates in dependence of multicellular growth and microenvironment stiffness. Taken together, basic insights into how cells adapt behaviours relevant to tumour progression to their microenvironmental context are presented. Ongoing work compares biophysical changes of such tumour models to patient outcome, to evaluate whether biophysical changes that occur at the cellular level can serve as potential prognostic markers.
Bio:
Dr. Anna Taubenberger is a group leader at the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of TU Dresden, where she heads the "Oncomechanics" research group. Her work focuses on how the mechanical properties of tumors and their microenvironment affect cancer growth, invasion, and therapy resistance. She holds a PhD from TU Dresden and completed postdoctoral research at QUT in Australia and BIOTEC in Dresden. Her interdisciplinary approach combines biophysics, cancer biology, and 3D model systems. In 2023, she was appointed TUD Young Investigator. Her research aims to uncover mechano-biological mechanisms in cancer to identify new therapeutic targets.
All day
Place: ICFO Auditorium
Anna Taubenberger (Technische Universität Dresden)
"Adaptations of tumour cell biophysical properties during tumour growth and progression"
Abstract:
Tumours exhibit altered biophysical properties that manifest across spatial scales. Counterintuitively, while at the bulk tissue level solid tumours are often stiffer compared to healthy tissues, individual cancer cells are typically more compliant. So far, contributions of single cell mechanics and collective cell behaviour to the emergent tissue properties remain unclear. Aiming to bridge this gap between single cell and tissue mechanics, we have established different 3D in vitro tumour models comprising established cancer cell lines or patient-derived organoids growing within bioengineered matrices that can be mechanically tailored. When analysing spheroid/organoid multicellular structures by 3D image segmentation, we observed clear changes of nuclear volumes with cluster size and overall architecture. Mapping tumour spheroid/organoid mechanical properties in situ using Brillouin microscopy revealed a positive correlation between spheroid/organoid size and Brillouin frequency shifts, indicating mechanical changes of constituent cells. In addition, tumour cells tuned their cell cycle progression rates in dependence of multicellular growth and microenvironment stiffness. Taken together, basic insights into how cells adapt behaviours relevant to tumour progression to their microenvironmental context are presented. Ongoing work compares biophysical changes of such tumour models to patient outcome, to evaluate whether biophysical changes that occur at the cellular level can serve as potential prognostic markers.
Bio:
Dr. Anna Taubenberger is a group leader at the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of TU Dresden, where she heads the "Oncomechanics" research group. Her work focuses on how the mechanical properties of tumors and their microenvironment affect cancer growth, invasion, and therapy resistance. She holds a PhD from TU Dresden and completed postdoctoral research at QUT in Australia and BIOTEC in Dresden. Her interdisciplinary approach combines biophysics, cancer biology, and 3D model systems. In 2023, she was appointed TUD Young Investigator. Her research aims to uncover mechano-biological mechanisms in cancer to identify new therapeutic targets.