Events Calendar

USC Physical Sciences in Oncology Monthly Seminar Series

Speaker: Owen McCarty, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University

Talk Title: The Physical Biology of Circulating Tumor Cells and Thrombosis

Abstract: The vascular system represents an exquisite feat of bioengineering. Fluid (blood) flow and mass transfer are intimately integrated with and actively regulate vascular cell responses. We aim to characterize the molecular nature of cellular processes in the dynamic setting of the vasculature through the synthesis of engineering fundamentals with the tools of cell biology. Our research is focused on understanding the interplay between cell biology and fluid mechanics in the cardiovascular system. My research into the balance between hydrodynamic shear forces and chemical adhesive interactions has great relevance to the underlying processes of cancer metastasis, cardiovascular disease, and inflammation. As part of this seminar, I present some of our latest work on the development of a novel imaging technique to characterize the physical biology of peripheral blood cells, including circulating tumor cells. Moreover, I will present some research on the role that circulating tumor cells play in triggering the blood coagulation cascade.

Biography: USC was selected to establish a $16 million cancer research center as part of a new strategy against the disease by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and its National Cancer Institute. The new center is one of 12 in the nation to receive the designation. During the five-year initiative, the Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers will take new, nontraditional approaches to cancer research by studying the physical laws and principles of cancer; evolution and the evolutionary theory of cancer; information coding, decoding, transfer and translation in cancer; and ways to de-convolute cancer’s complexity. As part of the outreach component of this grant, the Center for Applied Molecular Medicine is hosting a monthly seminar series.



Host: Center for Applied Molecular Medicine

Location: Clinical Science Center (CSC) - #250 Harkness Auditorium

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Kristina Gerber