Genetic heterogeneity is a key factor involved in tumor progression, and it is increasingly recognized that heterogeneity of phenotypic traits exists among individual cancer cells. In this dissertation, I investigate the heterogeneity of cancer cell motility via video-microscopic analysis by: 1) quantitating heterogeneity of cell motility, 2) exploring the differences in cell motility between non-tumorigenic and cancer cell lines, and 3) developing novel tools and metrics for the study of dynamic characteristics of cancer cells. To this end, over 7,300 cells were tracked and analyzed, from a variety of cell lines, in an assortment of microenvironmental conditions. The work presented in this dissertation provides important additions to the study of single-cell variability, and provides robust tools for future investigations in this field.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-07282009-114232 |
| Date | 11 August 2009 |
| Creators | Harris, Mark Philip |
| Contributors | Alissa Weaver, Jeffery Davidson, Donna Webb, Vito Quaranta, Yu Shyr |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-07282009-114232/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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