Lung tumor strain
Lung tumor strain
Lung tumors are unique solid tumors in that they develop under constant cyclic stretch, from respiration. In order to understand the contribution of stress and strain to lung cancer, we collaborated with Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Utah, to develop a finite element model of lung tissue. Simulations showed that early tumors amplify the strain in the adjacent alveolar walls. Iteratively thickening the alveolar walls in response to amplified strain produced tracks of thickened walls, which can be found in early-stage clinical samples. The simulations and tumor measurements suggest that cells at the edge of a lung tumor and in surrounding alveoli experience increased strain during respiration that could promote tumor progression.
- Zitnay, et al. Plos Computational Biol. (2022)
Current projects: strain and LUAD progression
Funded by multi-PI R01CA255790, the Weiss and Mendoza labs are continuing to test the strain distribution and signaling in early lung tumors, using experimental stretch and FEBio models.
Affiliations
- Department of Oncological Sciences
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Cancer Biology and Microenvironment Program
- Lung Center of Excellence
- Computational Oncology Research Initiative
- Molecular Biology Graduate Program
Collaborations
Mechanobiology: The Mendoza lab has a funded collaboration with the Weiss lab in the Biomedical Engineering department. This collaboration applies computational modeling and experimental stretching of lung tissue to understand the biomechanical signals involved in lung tumor growth.
Pollution and lung cancer: The Mendoza has lab a funded collaboration with Drs. Judy Ou and Chen Chen in Population Health Sciences to understand and target the cancer-promoting signals in particulate matter pollution.
Pathology: Support is also provided by Dr. Lyska Emerson in the Department of Pathology.