Molecular and Cellular Engineering
In the body, cells are exposed to a variety of stimuli, including growth factors, extracellular matrix (ECM), and physical factors (e.g., stiffness, shear). These cues can be presented in different manners in normal vs. diseased tissue resulting in changes in cell behavior. Using engineering approaches such as biomaterials, microfluidics, and computational modeling, our lab analyzes how cells interpret this information to regulate behaviors such as proliferation and migration. While this approach is amenable to a variety of disease settings, our major focus areas are cancer and dermal wound healing.
Tumor Microenvironment
Tumor cells do not operate in isolation. Instead, their presence leads to drastic changes in components of healthy tissue such as the extracellular matrix and immune cells. These changes support further tumor development, but also may provide opportunities to slow or stop tumor progression. Our lab is primarily focused on two gynecological cancers, high-grade serous ovarian and uterine serous. These tumors are prone to aggressive metastasis and the development of chemoresistance, resulting in 5-year survival rates <50%.
Collective Processes
Collective processes result when individual units interact in a way that impacts the overall group (e.g., fish swarming). Cells interact in collective processes during in wound healing, development, and cancer metastasis. While it is this collective process that we want to impact clinically, most therapies act on cellular-scale mechanisms. We seek to understand which individual cell behaviors most effectively regulate a collective process and then determine the cellular scale mechanisms to achieve the desired outcome.
Lab Mission Statement
The Kreeger lab strives to do the best quality science possible, support each lab member as they work towards their educational and career goals, and maintain a collegial and intellectually-stimulating environment.
