Description of Research Area

A03: Function | Proposed Research Projects (2014-2015)

Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Progression of Gastric Cancers Induced by Morphological Fluctuation out of Equilibrium
Leader TANAKA, Motomu Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University URL : http://www.icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp/e/ppl/grp/m-tanaka.html
Research Subject The primary aim of the project is to unravel the correlation between the morphological fluctuation dynamics of cancer cells and their key functions (metastasis) by the combination of (1) quantitative models of cell membranes, (2) a novel, non-invasive technique to measure the strength of cell adhesion, and (3) statistical analysis of dynamic fluctuation of cellular morphology. By incorporating these methods, precise models of cell surfaces ("supported membranes") will be functionalized with the adhesion receptor playing key roles in cancer metastasis (E-cadherin). We will also examine the impact of the concentration of CXCL12 on the morphological fluctuation and motion (migration) of cancer cells at different developmental stages. We will employ our original experimental methods including the intensive pressure waves induced by ps laser pulses, a label-free live cell imaging tool based on a Reflection Interference Contrast Microscopy (RICM), and so on.
Research Partner TSURUYAMA, Tatsuaki Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University
Fig.1 Spatio-temporal patterns extracted from stochastic fluctuation of mouse pancreatic cancer cells by the statistical analysis of time-lapse live cell images.