OCT 29: Forces shape tumor metastasis

Join Dr. Jacky Goetz for an online scientific talk on how cancer cells exploit the inner biomechanics of the blood stream to foster tumor metastasis. In addition to using both the blood and lymphatic circulation to travel throughout the body, these underlying forces allow cancer cells to seed distant metastases.

Dr. Goetz is leader of the Goetz Lab for Tumor Biomechanics at Inserm in Strasbourg, France. His visit to Vancouver is part of the French Scholars Lecture Series, supported by PWIAS and the Consulate General of France in Vancouver.

About the Talk

Metastases are resistant to multiple therapies and are responsible for the large majority of cancer-related deaths. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving metastasis formation remain to be elucidated and better described in a realistic in vivo context. Metastatic seeding is driven by cell-intrinsic and environmental cues, yet the contribution of biomechanics is poorly known. In addition, tumor extracellular vesicles have been shown to shape premetastatic niches and thereby favor metastastic colonization, but detailed information and mechanisms are missing. Moreover, new approaches need to be designed to specifically target and impair tumor progression.

Dr. Goetz’s team is focused on dissecting the biomechanics of the metastasis cascade. They recently identified the contribution of hemodynamic forces to tumor cell arrest and extravasation (cells exiting the capillaries and entering organs) preceding metastasis formation, and were the first to demonstrate that fluid mechanics are key regulators of tumor metastasis.

Dr. Goetz is hosted at UBC by Drs. Calvin Roskelley and Ivan Robert Nabi, members of UBC’s Life Sciences Institute. His Oct 29 talk is part of the LSI Virtual Seminar Series and co-sponsored by UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering.

Photo credit: Metastatic melanoma cells/National Cancer Institute/Unsplash