Effect of Interstitial Pressure on Epithelial Invasion from Human Mammary Ducts

摘要

The objectives of this Concept Award are to develop methods to engineer open 'ducts' of human mammary epithelial cells in collagen-based gels in vitro, and to study how the distinct pressures in the apical (lumenal) and basal sides of the epithelium affect tumor invasion. This work has yielded a technique to form ducts of immortalized MCF-10A human mammary epithelial cells; application of similar methods to primary cells was unsuccessful in creating stable ducts. Open ducts of MCF-10A cells could be exposed to different apical and basal pressures by interfacing the gels and the open ends of ducts to different liquid reservoirs. This work provides new tools for studying how physical forces affect the progression of human breast tumors in a well- controlled in vitro setting.