Under pressure: Compression and crowding inside cancer cells

TheoryLab

When tumors grow within the body they press on surrounding tissues, building up pressure. Pancreatic cancer builds up more pressure than any other cancer. Why is that? How do cancer cells adapt to this high-pressure environment or take advantage of it? In the words of Liam Holt, PhD, “Normal cells and early-stage cancer cells stop growing when pressure builds up. In contrast, in advanced cancer, compression can change cellular behavior to drive migration of cancer cells to other organs or confer resistance to chemotherapy… By determining the fundamental biology of pressure adaptation, we may discover strategies to treat this currently untreatable disease.” Liam Holt, PhD, is Associate Professor at the NYU School of Medicine. 1:50 – Why do pressure and compression matter for normal cells? “From the earliest embryo through to astronauts, we can find really good examples of how cells are responding to their mechanical environment to make sure they do just the right thing.” 6:09 – What happens when a tumor starts to grow? How does that affect nearby normal cells? 11:08 – Why there is so much compressive stress inside pancreatic tumors 16:24 – If we gain a better understanding of how pressure impacts pancreatic cancer, could that help us prevent or treat cancer? 22:13 – How a high-pressure environment drives the diversity of cancer cells 26:19 – “You can usually tell if it’s a good idea because it seems super obvious” 29:06 – On an educational outreach initiative he co-founded called Science Sketches https://www.sciencesketches.org/ 33:48 – The impact American Cancer Society funding has had on his research 34:59 – A message he’d like to share with cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers