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<div><font face="Arial" size="+4" color="#000000">Seminar on<br>
</font><font face="Arial" size="+5" color="#000000"><b>Modern Optics
and Spectroscopy<br>
<br>
<br>
Subra Suresh</b>, MIT</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="+5" color="#000000"></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="+5" color="#000000"><i><b>Nanomechanics
and human disease states</b></i></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="+5" color="#000000"><i><b><br>
</b></i>Grier Room, 34-401</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="+5" color="#000000">November 1, 2005<br>
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.<br>
<br>
</font><font face="New York" size="+3" color="#000000">Abstract:<br>
<br>
<br>
</font><font face="Arial" size="+2" color="#000000">We explore
coupling among nanomechanics, biology and medicine at the cell and
subcellular levels by investigating: the molecular changes induced by
invasion of parasites or from exposure to chemicals occurring
naturally in the human body, the consequent changes in the mechanical
response of the cell, and possible implications for disease
progression. The two cases considered are: human red blood cells
invaded by the malaria parasite<i> Plasmodium falciparum</i> and
Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells. In the former case, it is shown
by recourse to large deformation optical tweezers stretching at the
picoNewton force level that parasitization leads to significant
stiffening of the red blood cell. Possible consequences for
biological and physiological responses are probed. These<i> in
vitro</i> studies are also accompanied by<i> in vivo</i> experiments
performed using a mouse model. Experiments specifically designed
to explore the contributions to cell mechanical response from specific
proteins transferred from the parasite to the cell cytoskeleton are
also undertaken using studies of cloned parasites with protein
knock-outs. The presentation will conclude by demonstrating very
different chemomechanical pathways associated with the mechanical
response of the Panc-1 cell and their implications for tumor
metastasis.</font></div>
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