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Michelle Mendoza, PhD，研究员 Huntsman Cancer Institute 和 associate professor of oncological sciences 在 University of Utah (U)和 Jeffrey Weiss, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering 和 faculty member in the Scientific Computing 和 Imaging Institute 在 U, are the recipients of a $2.600万赠款 从 National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research how tension in lung tissue affects the growth 和 distribution of tumors. This innovative approach could uncover new mechanisms for underst和ing how 肺癌 发展.
The study examines the role of 力学生物学—an emerging field that explores how cells respond to mechanical signals—in the progression of early benign lesions to lung adenocarcinoma. According to the American Cancer Society, adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype of non-small cell 肺癌.
“There are a lot of people looking 在 stiffness of breast tissue or other material properties 和 other types of cancers, but not so much in the lung. And it's interesting, because the lung is always undergoing stretch as we breathe in 和 out. There's not a lot of tissues that have that characteristic.”
Michelle Mendoza, PhD
门多萨实验室
The researchers simulated how the presence of a solid tumor fills 和 affects 肺泡囊, where lungs 和 blood exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide, using computational models developed in Weiss’s lab.
They observed th在 connective tissues making up the walls of the sacs are sensitive to strain—which may produce a cellular response that allows the tumor to grow.
“It's a new hypothesis about something that's contributing to the early tumor cells progressing to malignancy, which other people haven't looked at,门多萨说. “And it would be a really interesting discovery if it's contributing to tumor development—because strain could be affected by things in our environment that cause lung damage or scarring.”
“It’s gratifying for me that at this point in my career, I can still do different 和 new things that are interesting to me. I’m pleased to see th在 tools that I’ve developed over my career are useful in this context, 也.”
Jeffrey Weiss, PhD
维斯实验室
Weiss has worked in biomechanics for decades, particularly in musculoskeletal science 和 cardiovascular mechanics.
The NIH grant allows Mendoza 和 Weiss to conduct their research experimentally by testing the effects directly in tissue 和 also develop more advanced computer models.
2美元.600万赠款 will be distributed over the next five years. Mendoza 和 Weiss hope the study will lead to further explorations of 力学生物学, 也 as the development of neoadjuvant therapies to reduce 肺癌 mortality.
媒体接触
Heather Simonsen
Public Affairs Senior Manager
Huntsman Cancer Institute
801 581-3194
公共.affairs@hci.犹他州.edu
About Huntsman Cancer Institute 在 University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute 在 University of Utah is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for Utah, 爱达荷州, 蒙大拿, 内华达, 和怀俄明州. With a legacy of innovative cancer research, groundbreaking discoveries, 和 world-class patient care, we are transforming the way cancer is understood, 预防, 诊断, 治疗, 并存活下来. Huntsman Cancer Institute focuses on delivering the most advanced cancer healing 和 prevention through scientific breakthroughs 和 cutting-edge technology to advance cancer treatments of the future beyond the st和ard of care today. We have more than 300 open clinical trials 和 250 research teams 研究癌症. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than at any other cancer center. Our scientists are world-renowned for underst和ing how cancer begins 和 using that knowledge to develop innovative approaches to treat each patient’s unique disease. Huntsman Cancer Institute was founded by Jon M. 和 Karen Huntsman.