Current methods in traction force analysis rely on a homogeneous extra-cellular matrix and
embedded microbeads to track deformations. The efficacy of these methods decreases when the matrix is not homogeneous. In heterogeneous matrices, beads often aggregate in regions of higher matrix density and float in regions where matrix substrate is...
Invasive breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women during their lifetime. Current cancer research uses 2-D cell culturing, which does not accurately represent tumor behavior. In comparison to tumors, cells grown using 2-D cell culturing have different proliferation and diffusion rates, cell shapes, and gene expression. To improve in vitro...
We developed an integration-based line detection algorithm. Existing line detection methods such as the Hough Transformation (HT) and its variants are insensitive to image noise. The reason is that HT finds lines by calculating the gradient of the image and assumes that the region where the gradient is the steepest...
We developed an integration-based line detection algorithm. Existing line detection methods such as the Hough Transformation (HT) and its variants are insensitive to image noise. The reason is that HT finds lines by calculating the gradient of the image and assumes that the region where the gradient is the steepest...
- Collagen fibers are found in 25% of the whole body
protein content. They are highly adhesive to cells and
can be used as scaffold proteins that can promote cell
growth and be used to capture cells.
- In our lab, we use collagen to capture cancer cells in
order...
This research specifically examines the collective motion of populations of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells under the influence of a chemo-attractant gradient. Their motion is compared to the mathematical model of a persistent random walk, measuring the persistence bias of the cells from their autocorrelation function and applying to the mean...
Many biological processes are regulated by the presence and movement of cellular Ca²⁺ ions. The concentration of Ca²⁺ in a cellular environment is regulated by IP₃ sensitive channels that lie on the surface of a cell’s endoplasmic reticulum. Little is known about the macroscopic effects of intracellular Ca²⁺ activity, so...
Exploring and quantifying the parameters regarding contact guidance may provide valuable insight to the precise mechanisms controlling cell movement, especially in a three-dimensional environment. The objective of this project was to quantify the relationship between MDA-MB-231 cell morphogenesis and the geometry of the cell’s local microenvironment, which was modeled by...
Forward osmosis provides a low energy alternative for waste water purification. One of the major issues facing this process is the formation of a foulant layer preventing fluid transfer across the membrane. In recent studies, a conductive layer added to the membrane surface allowing an electric charge to be present...
Type I collagen fibers, the connective tissue that makes up the human breast, can be easily manipulated by cells or other outside factors. In previous studies, the alignment of collagen has been associated with the beginning of metastatic cancer, possibly influencing cancerous cells to migrate from the tumor. In this...