CAREER: Multimodal Tracking of Mitochondria During Tumor Cell Invasion

线粒体是细胞复杂的发电机，为调节细胞命运和功能的大多数生化途径提供所需的能量。目前，很少有成像方法可用于非侵入性地检测代谢变化并同时跟踪线粒体。该项目旨在开发一种具有快速轨道跟踪技术的成像平台，以纳米精度跟踪线粒体，同时非侵入性地测量癌细胞局部环境的代谢变化。PI将开发教育和推广活动，使学生有机会发展他们的领导力，教学和培训技能，促进STEM研究，并帮助与社区大学STEM项目协调员建立更紧密的网络。基于的技术将提供生物物理信息的焦点粘附动力学与基质密度的变化，并在肿瘤细胞内的入侵结构称为invadopodia使用荧光生物传感器和光遗传蛋白。从类器官肿瘤模型中获得的信息将加深对某些肿瘤细胞在对当地环境线索做出反应时比其他肿瘤细胞更具攻击性的分子机制的理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Mitochondria are the intricate power generators of the cell providing the energy needed for most biochemical pathways that regulate cell fate and function. Currently few imaging methods are available to non-invasively detect metabolic changes and track mitochondria simultaneously. This project aims to develop an imaging platform that has a fast orbital tracking technique to follow mitochondria with nanometer precision and, at the same time, non-invasively measure metabolic changes at the local environment in cancer cells. The PI will develop educational and outreach activities that will give students the opportunity to develop their leadership, teaching and training skills that will promote STEM research, and help bridge closer networks with community college STEM program coordinators.A light-based technology will provide biophysical information regarding focal adhesion dynamics with changes in matrix density and at invading structures within tumor cells called invadopodia using fluorescence biosensors and an optogenetic protein. The information obtained from organoid tumor models will deepen the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that make some tumor cells more aggressive than others as they respond to local environmental cues.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.