AIMRC Seminar: Engineering Biomimetic Models to Investigate Breast Cancer Recurrence and Metastasis

About this event

The Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC) will host Dr. Marjan Rafat , an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt University, at 11:50 a.m. on Wednesday, December 2, in BELL 2269 . Dr. Rafat’s research seeks to understand the mechanisms driving breast cancer recurrence and metastasis. In her seminar, she will highlight how radiation-induced changes in the breast tissue microenvironment may promote tumor progression and recurrence.

Abstract: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) recurrence rates remain high despite aggressive therapeutic intervention. However, the mechanisms that govern how the breast tissue microenvironment facilitates recurrence and metastasis are not well understood. This seminar will present recent research investigating the role of irradiated mammary tissue in influencing tumor cell behavior. Novel decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogels derived from mammary glands, as well as the contribution of stromal cells to tumor cell invasion, will be discussed. These studies reveal that radiation of breast tissue promotes a pro-tumor and immunosuppressive microenvironment through alterations in the structure and composition of the extracellular matrix. The research also demonstrates that radiation causes metabolic reprogramming in fibroblasts that support tumor growth. Future research will leverage these results to engineer improved biomimetic in vitro tumor and tissue microenvironment models to probe the complex physical, chemical, and biological cues that regulate TNBC recurrence and metastasis.

Biography: Dr. Marjan Rafat is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt University. She has courtesy appointments in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Oncology. Among other recognitions, she has received the NIH Pathway to Independence award, the Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering award, the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant, and the Women in Chemical Engineering Academic Mentorship Excellence Award. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from MIT and a PhD in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University. She was also a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Rafat currently applies chemical and biomedical engineering concepts toward understanding the mechanisms driving breast cancer recurrence and metastasis. Her interdisciplinary laboratory at Vanderbilt examines and models the tumor and tissue microenvironment. She has contributed over 50 peer-reviewed publications, 7 book chapters, and over 85 conference presentations and proceedings.

This event is supported by NIGMS of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 2P20GM139768. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Pizza and beverages will be served. Please contact Kimberley Fuller, fullerk@uark.edu , for more information.

For those unable to attend in person, this seminar will also be available via Zoom .