Erik Sahai
Imaging cancer cell motility in 3D environments and living tumours
See Erik Sahai's research profile
The Tumour Cell Biology laboratory focuses on understanding what makes cancer cells invasive and how they move.
We use two-photon confocal imaging to study cell motility in 3D environments and in living tumours. In these environments cancer cells move either as single cells at high speeds with rapidly changing morphologies, or in slow moving collective chains.
Surprisingly, little is known about these modes of cell migration and we hope that by learning more about them we will be able to devise strategies to reduce the spread of cancer. Live tumour imaging has also revealed how non-tumour cells can be co-opted by the tumour to promote the dissemination of cancer cells.
Questions that we are currently interested in and that may form the basis of a PhD project are:
- How do non-tumour cells promote the invasion of cancer cells?
- How are the actin machinery and cell adhesions co-ordinated in fast moving cancer cells?
- Are there differences between leading and following cells in collectively invading chains?
References
Sahai E. Mechanisms of cancer cell invasion. Current Opinions in Genetics and Development 2005; 15(1):87-96.
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