Date of Award

1-1-2018

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Program

Nanoscale Engineering

Content Description

1 online resource (ii, xvi, 122 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Nathaniel Cady

Committee Members

Janet Paluh, Michael Carpenter, Yubing Xie, James Williams

Keywords

Cancer Metastasis, Microfabrication, Microfluidics, Microscopy, Nanoengineering, Photoactuation, Tumors, Metastasis, Cancer, Carcinogenesis

Subject Categories

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a heterogeneous collection of both healthy and pathological cells, whose complex interactions hold the key for understanding and overcoming cancer. Metastasis leverages these complex interactions into a sophisticated process by which single cells from the tumor disseminate into the blood and form new colonies in other organ systems. Subsequent formation of tumors throughout the body, as a direct result of metastatic events, is responsible for most deaths related to cancer, making metastasis a necessary target for cancer therapy.

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