<p>The pancreas is a
vital organ that secretes key metabolic hormones and digestive enzymes. In
pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the leading causes of cancer-related
death in the world, limited advances in diagnosis or therapies have been made
over decades. Key features of PDAC progression include an elevated matrix
stiffness and an increased deposition of extracellular matrices (ECM), such as hyaluronic
acid (HA). Understanding how cells interact with components in the tumor microenvironment (TME) as PDAC progresses can assist
in developing diagnostic tools and therapeutic treatment options. In recent
years, hydrogels have proven to be an excellent platform for studying cell-cell
and cell-matrix interactions. Utilizing chemically modified and naturally
derived materials, hydrogel networks can be formed to encompass not only the
components, but also the physicochemical properties of the dynamic TME. In this
work, a dynamic hydrogel system that integrates multiple click chemistries was
developed for tuning matrix physicochemical properties in a manner similar to the
temporally increased matrix stiffness and depositions of HA. Subsequently,
these dynamic hydrogels were used to investigate how matrix stiffening and
increased HA presentation might affect survival of PDAC cells and their
response to chemotherapeutics. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/12194694 |
| Date | 30 April 2020 |
| Creators | Hunter Caleb Johnson (8764017) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/Integrative_Click_Chemistry_for_Tuning_Physicochemical_Properties_of_Cancer_Cell-Laden_Hydrogels/12194694 |
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