Master Degree / Yüksek Lisans Tezleri
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/3008
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Master Thesis Investigation of the Interactions Between Cancer Cells and the Microenvironment at the Cellular Level(Izmir Institute of Technology, 2022) Yöndem, Eyüp; Pesen Okvur, Devrim; Pesen Okvur, DevrimBreast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer type and the first leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Breast tumor mass is not only harboring cancer cells but also several types of stromal cells, including fibroblasts. While all of these stromal cells may have a calamitous effect on cancer progression, fibroblasts which make up nearly 80% of tumor mass present unique characteristics such as extensive extracellular matrix (ECM) production. In the context of tumors, the activated cells are referred to as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), expressing several markers such as αSMA, FSP1, FAP, vimentin, and PDGFRβ. However, an in-depth understanding of the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to CAFs is lacking. ECM components may change when cells become cancerous, which can alter cell behavior, facilitating proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Decellularized ECM(dECM) has recently been considered one of the tools to study in-vitro cell-ECM interaction. In this work, we utilized cancer cell-derived ECM(ccECM) to investigate its effect on the differentiation of the fibroblast to CAFs by compering decellularization methods called the extraction buffer and the freeze-thaw cycle. Our study suggested that ccECM from MDA-MB-231 impacted the fibroblasts' behavior from proliferation to differentiation via its ECM components, including fibronectin and laminin. The fibroblasts cultured on ccECM showed increased CAFs markers indicated above. Overall, ccECM could be one of the intermediate steps in fibroblast differentiation, but in the future, the factors present in ccECM should be scrutinized to understand the mechanisms behind this effect.Master Thesis Cellular Mechanosensing at a Distance(Izmir Institute of Technology, 2019) Can, Ali; Pesen Okvur, Devrim; Özçivici, EnginThe goal of the project is to determine differences in mechanical sensing at a distance between breast cancer cells and normal mammary epithelial cells. To achieve this goal, we aim to: 1. Optimize the device for mechanical sensing at a distance 2. Determine the effect of mechanical sensing at a distance on cell proliferation 3. Determine the effect of mechanical sensing at a distance on cell migration Breast cancer is one of the cancers with the highest incidence and mortality rates in women in Turkey as well as in the world. Tumor microenvironment comprises of cancer and normal cells, extracellular matrix, soluble biological and chemical factors. Biochemical aspects of the interactions of cancer cells with the constituents of the microenvironment are widely studied whereas biophysical studies are at limited numbers. There is increasing evidence that extracellular matrix can change the mechanics and function of cancer and stroma cells. It has been observed that cancer cells show different responses to soft and stiff tissues they are in direct contact with than normal cells. However, it is not known whether the distance at which cancer cells can feel the stiffness of a distant tissue is longer, the same or shorter than that of normal cells. The hypothesis we will test in this project is as follows: The distance at which cancer cells can feel the stiffness of a distant tissue is shorter than that of normal cells.Master Thesis Mimicking the Tumor Microenvironment in Lab-On Devices(Izmir Institute of Technology, 2019) Bilgen, Müge; Pesen Okvur, Devrim; Sürmeli, Nur BaşakBreast cancer is one of the cancers with the highest incidence and mortality rates in women in the world. The leading cause of death for cancer patients is tumor metastasis. Cancer cells can extravasate the blood vessel, go through the distant organs and form the metastasis. Tumor microenvironment comprises of cancer and normal cells, extracellular matrix, soluble biological and chemical factors. Biochemical aspects of the interactions of cancer cells with the constituents of the microenvironment are widely studied whereas biophysical studies are at limited numbers. There is increasing evidence that extracellular matrix can change the mechanics and function of cancer and stroma cells. It has been observed that cancer cells show different responses to soft and stiff tissues they are in direct contact with than normal cells. New cell culture setups should be developed to better understand the interactions of cancer cells with their microenvironment. To develop a three dimensional (3D) in vitro model will allow the study of stiffness which is one of the mechanical features of extracellular matrix features first, 3D (dimensional) Controlled in vitro Microenvironments (CivMs) that mimic a blood vessel and its neighboring tissue in vivo will be fabricated using UV lithography. Monolayer which was formed by endothelial cells play a role in pathophysiological processes, so it shows a barrier role between both blood and tissues. To form a blood vessel bEnd.3 cell line was used. Collagen which is the most abundant protein in connective tissues were used to mimic extracellular matrix. pH value of collagen was changed and represented two different stiffness value. Here, the in vitro model we define as controlled in vitro microenvironments (CivM) is a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) application. In this microenvironment; MDA-MB-231 cells which are known to be invasive and MCF10A which is normal mammary epithelial cells were used as control. LOC devices were used to investigate cancer cell extravasation which is the prominent step of metastasis and extracellular matrix relation.