Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Simon Fraser University
$150,000.00
A Bio-AFM for Characterization of Cellular Mechanical Behaviour of Rare Circulating Tumor Cells
EF 2012-13
Résumé
An estimated 186,400 new cases of cancer and over 75,700 deaths from cancer will occur in Canada in 2012. The Canadian Cancer Society has identified that significant obstacles in increasing longevity of cancer patients are delays in diagnosis and the occurrence of secondary tumors (i.e. metastasis). The main research program to be supported by the requested equipment, a biological atomic force microscopy (bio-AFM), is the ongoing development of novel manipulation and analysis techniques for rare single cells. In particular, the applicants are currently developing robotic-assisted bio-micromanipulation and automated digital microscopy techniques that can sort and analyze live circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from patients' blood samples.
CTCs that wander in blood are neoplastic cells shed from primary tumors and are believed to seed secondary tumors. Therefore, identifying and characterizing CTCs in blood has the prospect of providing a means of identifying patients who have developed metastatic disease and provide an early detection method. Furthermore, analysis of CTCs for specific cellular and molecular changes has the potential of identifying effective therapies as specific features of tumor cells determine the therapeutic strategy used. Thus, there is much interest in better methods to detect, isolate, and characterize CTCs from blood samples. The main technical difficulty in detecting CTCs from blood is that they are very rare and, currently, there is a prohibitively high cost associated with screening for malignant CTCs in cancer patients' blood and the sensitivity of assays developed to identify CTCs is low.
The requested bio-AFM is capable of very high resolution imaging and precision force measurements. It will allow us to investigate cell mechanics of the captured live single CTCs and how changes to their cytoskeletal architecture induced by cancer drugs or the emergence of drug resistance and stem cell-like properties in CTCs can significantly influence cell mechanics and disease state. This has major diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications for patients with metastatic cancer.
Programme
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Bénéficiaire
Emplacement
British Columbia, Canada
Type de bénéficiaire
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
Tel que publié
Application id
440266-2013
Name nom
Park, Edward
Department département
Engineering Science, School of
Organization id
5
Institution établissement
Simon Fraser University
Province en
British Columbia
Province fr
Colombie-Britannique
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2012
Competition year année de concours
2013
Award amount
150000
Program id
EQPEQ
Program name en
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Program name fr
Outils et instruments de recherche - catégorie 1 (<150 000$)
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
1512
Committee name en
Mechanical Engineering
Committee name fr
Génie mécanique
Area of application code
1102
Area of application group en
Health, education and social services
Area of application group fr
Santé publique, éducation et services sociaux
Area of application en
Biomedical engineering
Area of application fr
Génie biomédical
Research subject code
2109
Research subject group en
Mechanical engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie mécanique
Research subject en
Mechanical systems and instrumentation
Research subject fr
Instrumentation et systèmes mécaniques
Partie
1
Nb partie
1
Application title
A Bio-AFM for Characterization of Cellular Mechanical Behaviour of Rare Circulating Tumor Cells
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
An estimated 186,400 new cases of cancer and over 75,700 deaths from cancer will occur in Canada in 2012. The Canadian Cancer Society has identified that significant obstacles in increasing longevity of cancer patients are delays in diagnosis and the occurrence of secondary tumors (i.e. metastasis). The main research program to be supported by the requested equipment, a biological atomic force microscopy (bio-AFM), is the ongoing development of novel manipulation and analysis techniques for rare single cells. In particular, the applicants are currently developing robotic-assisted bio-micromanipulation and automated digital microscopy techniques that can sort and analyze live circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from patients' blood samples.
CTCs that wander in blood are neoplastic cells shed from primary tumors and are believed to seed secondary tumors. Therefore, identifying and characterizing CTCs in blood has the prospect of providing a means of identifying patients who have developed metastatic disease and provide an early detection method. Furthermore, analysis of CTCs for specific cellular and molecular changes has the potential of identifying effective therapies as specific features of tumor cells determine the therapeutic strategy used. Thus, there is much interest in better methods to detect, isolate, and characterize CTCs from blood samples. The main technical difficulty in detecting CTCs from blood is that they are very rare and, currently, there is a prohibitively high cost associated with screening for malignant CTCs in cancer patients' blood and the sensitivity of assays developed to identify CTCs is low.
The requested bio-AFM is capable of very high resolution imaging and precision force measurements. It will allow us to investigate cell mechanics of the captured live single CTCs and how changes to their cytoskeletal architecture induced by cancer drugs or the emergence of drug resistance and stem cell-like properties in CTCs can significantly influence cell mechanics and disease state. This has major diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications for patients with metastatic cancer.
