ESR 12: Engineering a perfusion-based bioreactor system to study metastatic breast cancer interactions with bone microenvironments.

 

 


ESR12

Project Title: Engineering a perfusion-based bioreactor system to study metastatic breast cancer interactions with bone microenvironments.

Objectives: The ESR will be trained in the handling and culture of primary cancer tissue and human-derived bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells using standard cell culture techniques and perfusion-based bioreactor systems. The aim of the work will be the development of a double-compartment model system, which will enable to investigate interactions between metastatic breast cancer cells and an engineered bone microenvironment, as well as the response to treatment. The ESR will work in the Tissue Engineering Lab headed by Prof. Ivan Martin, which brings together basic and translational research, in collaboration with the lab of Prof. Dr. Mohamed Bentires-Alj (Personalized Medicine Tumor heterogeneity, metastasis and resistance), a world leader in the field of breast cancer metastasis.

The ESR will deal with human sample collection, primary cell culture, and cell differentiation. She/he will study the molecular mechanisms that regulate the behavior of metastatic breast cancer cells when conditioned by the bone microenvironment, and the tunability of drug response as a function of the composition of the engineered bone microenvironment.

Expected Results: A perfusion-based bioreactor will be designed and implemented to allow the ex-vivo preservation of the cellular composition of freshly resected breast cancer tissue specimens connected to a second chamber containing engineered bone tissue. After a period of validation and qualification, the device will be used in collaboration with Bentires-Alj Lab to define novel therapeutic strategies to treat metastatic dissemination of breast cancer cells.

Host: UNIBAS

Main Supervisors: Ivan Martin (Unibas), Manuele Muraro (Unibas), Mohamed Bentires-Alj (Unibas)

Duration: 36 months

Planned Secondment: IOG (3 months) during the first year to acquire knowledge on in vitro tumor modelling and extravasation; LIFETEC (3 months) to receive training on the culture and maintenance of tissue biopsies ex-vivo during the second year.

Enrolment in Doctoral Degree: PhD in Biomedicine (Faculty of Natural Sciences) at the University of Basel


For any specific requests on this project, please get in contact with Dr. Manuele Muraro (manuele.muraro@usb.ch)