Cancer is the leading cause of death for Floridians and people worldwide. In Florida, people at the age of 65 and older are at the highest risk of developing cancer and the corresponding mortality rate is projected to grow by 25% over the next two decades. This research brings new theoretical insights into the design of novel mechanobiology-empowered medicines to suppress aggressive and relapsing human cancer. The work will advance next-generation multidisciplinary cancer therapies for the prevention, early detection, treatment, and ultimately cure of cancer.
This work is expected to have an important role in explaining how the mechanical forces can modulate the cell functions and gene expression. For decades, mechanical forces have been appreciated to be of fundamental importance in biology, diseases, and medicine. However, it was previously difficult to quantify, assess, and understand cell mechanics with conventional frameworks and tools, resulting in a gap in knowledge on the relationship between cell mechanotransduction, physio-pathological functions, chromosome organization, and gene regulation. The new unified framework will fill this knowledge gap, inspire the design of novel mechano-therapies, and advance future cancer therapies to suppress tumor progression and metastasis. A deeper understanding of the mechanotransduction processes in health and diseases will likely facilitate the next-generation of biomaterials, soft bio-robotics, wearable devices, and implants.
Dr. Tang’s lab group envisions that the present unified framework will help the scientific community better understand the potential of mechanobiology and biophysics for biomedical research, particularly cancer medicine. By integrating mechanobiology and biomechanics principles with oncology clinical trials, there is reason to be optimistic that more creative multidisciplinary strategies that leverage mechano-medicine will be developed to prevent, detect, treat, and ultimately cure cancer.
To read more on Dr. Tang’s publication, click here.
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Story by: Emily Hinds
Marketing and Communications Specialist
August 16, 2023
