In the field of cancer research, the idea that scientists can disrupt cancer growth by changing the environment in which cancerous cells divide is growing in popularity.
In the field of cancer research, the idea that scientists can disrupt cancer growth by changing the environment in which cancerous cells divide is growing in popularity. The primary way researchers have tested this theory is to conduct experiments using animals.
Smitha Rao’s cell scaffolding research aims to replace animal testing in cancer research with electrospun synthetics.
Rao, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Michigan Technological University, recently published "Engineered three-dimensional scaffolds modulating fate of breast cancer cells using stiffness and morphology related cell adhesion" in the journal IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology.
Rao's coauthors are doctoral student Samerender Hanumantharao, master's student Carolynn Que and undergraduate student Brennan Vogl, all Michigan Tech biomedical engineering students.
Read more at Michigan Technological University
Image: Michigan Tech researchers have discovered that triple-negative breast cancer cells preferred honeycomb scaffolds upon which to grow. Pictured here is an electrospun honeycomb polycaprolactone scaffold. By altering the scaffold matrix, researchers may in the future be able to engineer environments within the human body that are much less hospitable to cancer growth. CREDIT: Smitha Rao/Michigan Tech
