Advisory Committee Chair
Joel L Berry
Advisory Committee Members
Mary Kathryn Sewell-Loftin
Rebecca Arend
Erik Schwiebert
Palaniappan Sethu
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2022
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Engineering
Abstract
Mechanical forces imparted on an ovarian tumor have recently been shown to have a grave impact on cancer development, progression, metastasis, and chemoresistance. The forces present include compression throughout the tumor, intrinsic and extrinsic shear stresses from ascitic fluid present in the peritoneal cavity as well as blood flow through the tumor via leaky and disorganized vessels created through tumor angiogenesis, and tension at the tumor periphery because of the constantly growing mass. Studies of the signaling pathways impacted by these mechanical forces could give great insight into new therapeu-tic targets for ovarian cancer, however, these studies have been severely lacking in ovarian cancer. Additionally, preclinical models of ovarian cancer that accurately model a three-dimensional tumor microenvironment, mechanical stresses, and angiogenesis has yet to be developed but would have immense application in developing new cancer therapeutics. Herein, the effect of tensile stress on ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV-3, OVCAR-8 and SKOV-3.tr will be elucidated. Also, a three-dimensional model of ovarian cancer which includes a fully developed microvascular network, perfusion of nutrient-rich media, and appropriate matrix components that has been developed will be described.
Recommended Citation
Buckley, Molly, "Mechanotransduction Signaling on Ovarian Cancer Results in Increased Proliferation, Migration, and Chemoresistance in 2D and 3D In Vitro and In Vivo Models" (2022). All ETDs from UAB. 507.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/507
