News
Vinay Abhyankar

In tumors, cells follow microscopic fibers, comparable to following roads through a city. Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology developed a new technique to study different features of these “fiber highways” to provide new insights into how cells move efficiently through the tumor environment.

RIT faculty members, who led research initiatives as principal investigators, were honored at a reception on March 21 to celebrate the individuals who helped the university reach record awards surpassing $92 million and place among the top private research universities in the country.

Cancer spreading from the primary tumor location to another is called metastasis and is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Research efforts today focus on discovering the guidance cues, or indicators, that promote movement of cancer cells toward blood vessels during early metastasis, and some of that work is taking place at RIT and the University of Rochester.

Vinay Abhyankar and this team will develop the commercial-ready µSiM platform with three nanoporous membrane offerings that provide glass-like imaging properties and integrate a removable fluidic module to apply physiological fluid shear stresses to form a viable vascular barrier. These tissue barriers are an important component of a growing market for 3D cell culture.