Publications by authors named "Ayush A Garg"
Article Synopsis
- Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) aid in tumor development by remodeling the tumor environment and secreting chemokines like CXCL12, which is linked to cancer progression.
- A study using a 3-D microfluidic model showed that CXCL12 from CAFs increases the permeability of blood vessel analogs, suggesting it helps tumors grow and spread.
- While CXCL12 promotes a more permeable endothelium that supports tumor activities, it does not significantly drive the contractility of CAFs themselves, indicating a complex interaction in the tumor microenvironment.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the role of S100A7, a pro-inflammatory molecule, in promoting breast cancer growth and metastasis, revealing its association with poor survival rates in patients.
- Researchers used various human and animal models to explore the interaction between S100A7 and cPLA2, finding that S100A7 activates cPLA2 to enhance tumor progression and create an immunosuppressive environment.
- Inhibiting cPLA2 not only reduced tumor growth but also improved the infiltration of activated immune cells, suggesting a potential therapeutic target to enhance immune response in breast cancer treatment.
Article Synopsis
- * The study analyzed the effect of iEFs on oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis in two types of cells: aggressive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and normal MCF10A mammary epithelial cells, showing distinct metabolic changes due to iEF exposure.
- * Results indicated that iEFs may slow down highly metastatic breast cancer cell migration by affecting mitochondrial metabolism, particularly by inhibiting succinate dehydrogenase activity when EGF is present.
This paper describes an experimental characterization scheme of the biophysical properties of reconstituted hydrogel matrices based on indentation testing, quantification of transport via microfluidics, and confocal reflectance microscopy analysis. While methods for characterizing hydrogels exist and are widely used, they often do not measure diffusive and convective transport concurrently, determine the relationship between microstructure and transport properties, and decouple matrix mechanics and transport properties. Our integrated approach enabled independent and quantitative measurements of the structural, mechanical, and transport properties of hydrogels in a single study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInteractions between cells and their environment influence key physiologic processes such as their propensity to migrate. However, directed migration controlled by extrinsically applied electrical signals is poorly understood. Using a novel microfluidic platform, we found that metastatic breast cancer cells sense and respond to the net direction of weak (∼100 µV cm), asymmetric, non-contact induced Electric Fields (iEFs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe overexpression and hyperactivity of p21-activated serine/threonine kinases (PAKs) is known to facilitate tumorigenesis; however, the contribution of cancer-associated mutations to tumor initiation and progression remains unclear. Here, we identify p21-activated serine/threonine kinase 5 (PAK5) as the most frequently altered PAK family member in human melanoma. More than 60% of melanoma-associated gene alterations are missense mutations, and distribution of these variants throughout the protein coding sequence make it difficult to distinguish oncogenic drivers from passengers.
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