[MOS] November 1

[Zina Queen]

Seminar on
Modern Optics and Spectroscopy


Subra Suresh, MIT

Nanomechanics and human disease states

Grier Room, 34-401
November 1, 2005
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Abstract:


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 Plasmodium falciparum 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 in vitro 
studies are also accompanied by in vivo 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.
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