Awarded in 2023
Home Department: Chemistry
Faculty Advisors: Fan Yang (Bioengineering, Orthopaedic Surgery), Michael Lim (Neurosurgery), and Ovijit Chaudhuri (Mechanical Engineering)

Research Title: A 3D Viscoelastic Model for Investigating Glioblastoma-Tumor Associated Macrophage Crosstalk

Research Description: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain cancer. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are critical components in GBM tumor and have been shown to drive GBM progression and immunosuppression, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Mark and the Yang and Lim labs will develop a 3D viscoelastic hydrogel with brain-mimicking niche cues to study how GBM/TAM crosstalk modulates GBM invasiveness, standard of care treatment resistance, and immunosuppression. The outcomes of this work validate the physiological relevance of this 3D model as a promising new tool for future drug screening with reduced cost and time.