Analysis of tumor dormancy and progression in biofabricated vascularized 3D models (C03)

• Subject Area: Hematology, Oncology ; Dermatology ; Pathology ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 326998133

The aim of the project is the biofabrication of vascularized complex tumor models and in vivo tests in the rat arteriovenous vascular loop (AV loop) model. Special attention is paid to dorman-cy/quiescence and progression of tumors and to the influence of the microenvironment. Biofabricated dormancy and proliferation models with different stiffnesses, molecular compositions and cell types modelling different tumor compositions will be used for investigating why and how the transition of a tumor cell from dormancy/quiescence to proliferation, an essential process of progression in patients, occurs. This will help to clarify basic scientific questions on tumor development and progression and can be used as standard tools for identifying new therapeutic target genes.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 225: From the Fundamentals of Biofabrication towards Functional Tissue Models
• Applicant Institution: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Andreas Arkudas; Professorin Dr. Anja-Katrin Bosserhoff; Privatdozentin Dr. Annika Kengelbach-Weigand