Delving deeper into the Matrix: Redefining the Extracellular Matrix in Cancer Treatment

肿瘤的生长和扩散受到细胞外基质(ECM)的强烈影响。细胞外基质是包裹着我们器官中细胞的网状物或粘合剂。与正常组织相比，癌症组织的细胞外基质发生了根本性的变化，并对癌细胞的行为产生了巨大的影响。我们的使命是：1)开发更好地模拟癌症ECM的创新实验室工具；2)加深我们对癌症ECM如何导致治疗失败和耐药性的理解：3)开发针对ECM的新联合疗法。

Cancer growth and spread is strongly affected by the extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is the mesh or glue that surrounds cells in our organs. The ECM is fundamentally changed in cancer vs. normal tissue, and has a huge impact on how cancer cells behave. Our mission is to: 1) Develop innovative laboratory tools that better mimic the cancer ECM 2) Deepen our understanding of how cancer ECM contributes to treatment failure and resistance: 3) Develop new combination therapies that target the ECM.