Grant: Project Grant

The human body contains hundreds of different cell types which are uniquely organized into tissues and organs, and it is essential that cells respect the boundaries between anatomical structures. An example of a dramatic failure of boundary function is the invasion of healthy tissues by malignant cells during the spreading and metastasis of cancer. We study a specific type of boundary, cleft-like tissue boundaries, which develop in the embryo and give rise to the interfaces that separate tissues and organs in the adult organism. Here we propose to study the mechanical properties of such a boundary, to discover the general principles that underlie cleft-like tissue separation mechanisms. Some of the molecules involved in boundary formation are also known from their role in cancer progression, and by linking the function of these molecules to mechanical properties of tissue interfaces, we will make metastatic processes understandable at a new level, and add to the repertoire of possible approaches to interfere therapeutically.