Careers with the School of Pharmacy
School of Pharmacy
10A Victoria St. S.
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 1C5
Phone: 519-888-4499
Accomplices in Tumor Cell Invasion: Invadopodia and Extracellular Vesicles
We are honoured to invite Dr. Hon Leong of the University of Western Ontario Department of Urology to speak in the Pharmacy Research Seminar Series.
Visitors from main campus and those external to Waterloo are welcome.
Please RSVP to sarah.rae@uwaterloo.ca.
Cancer cell extravasation is a key step in the metastatic cascade in which tumor cells undergo transendothelial migration into the tissue surrounding a vessel. If unable to translocate to tissue, the cell will eventually die and no metastatic colony will form. Using intravital imaging, we have determined that tumor cells form tentacle-like structures, called invadopodia to mediate this process. When invadopodia function is impaired, cancer cells are unable to undergo extravasation and subsequent metastatic colony formation is abrogated. During extravasation, tumor cells also release membrane blebs, also known as cancer cell microparticles or extracellular vesicles, resulting in a loss of cell volume post-extravasation. Our laboratory has developed tests to enumerate these cancer microparticles to act as a "fluid biopsy" to potentially improve the way cancer screening is performed in the general population.
Visitors from main campus and those external to Waterloo are welcome.
Please RSVP to sarah.rae@uwaterloo.ca.
Careers with the School of Pharmacy
School of Pharmacy
10A Victoria St. S.
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 1C5
Phone: 519-888-4499
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Office of Indigenous Relations.