Paper BI+AS+IS+NL-MoM9
Smart Surfaces for Studies of Real-Time Dynamic Cell Behavior

Monday, October 28, 2013, 11:00 am, Room 201 B

Active migration, local tissue invasion and seeding of distant metastases are all characteristics of malignant cells. These complex cellular events require the integration of information derived from soluble growth factors with positional information gained from interactions with the extracellular matrix and with other cells. The biochemical events of the signaling cascades occur in a spatially and temporally coordinated manner that then dynamically shape the cytoskeleton in specific sub-cellular regions. Therefore cell migration and invasion involve a precise but constantly changing subcellular nano-architecture. To fully understand the complex signaling and cytoskeletal aspects of the cellular nano-architecture during migration requires a multidisciplinary coordinated effort. The long-term goal of this research program is to develop new surface chemistry and cell biological tools to generate a class of tailored dynamic nanopatterned substrates for a variety of cell adhesion and migration experiments. The combined application of dynamic smart substrates, molecular surface gradients and in vivo biosensors will potentially allow for the analysis and quantitation of the events of cell migration at each step from initial engagement with extracellular matrix ligands, to localized activation of signaling proteins, to organization and activation of the cytoskeleton, to overall movement of the cell.