Stichting het Nederlands Kanker Instituut-Antoni van Leeuwnhoek Ziekenhuis (NKI) - Netherlands

Student: Laura Bornes

Supervisor: Jacco van Rheenen,  Rudolf Leube,  Reinhard Windoffer

7  -  Monitoring of cancer cell migration in living animals

In this project we will test whether epithelial mammary tumour cells need to remodel their actin cytoskeleton, or whether cells can also passively leave the primary tumour and establish metastases. Using intravital imaging techniques recently developed in the laboratory, the movement of individual tumour cells will be imaged in mammary tumours in living mice for several days through mammary optical imaging windows. Several components known to be required for actin remodelling will be genetically inhibited in the mammary tumour cells, and it will be tested how this affects active cell motility by intravital imaging. Image analysis tools developed by InCeM will be used for measuring cell motility. By inhibiting active cell migration, passive cell migration will become visible such as tumour cells that are pushed or pulled by immune cells, carried by interstitial fluid, or move due to tissue deformation. The importance of passive versus active cell migration for metastasis will be compared. This project will illustrate whether and to what extent passive cell migration is required for metastasis of mammary tumours, and which components are important for active cell migration.