(337by) The Effects of Dietary Conditions on Tumor Growth and Cancer Cell Invasion

It is well appreciated that diet can affect the risk of cancer, but it is unclear whether diet or dietary conditions affect the progression of a tumor once it has formed. Evaluating the effects of dietary conditions on cancer progression is challenging. In many cell-culture models, media, and thus nutrients, are supplied at discrete timepoints and subsequently metabolized by the tumor cells. In vivo, however, nutrients are continuously replenished via the flow of interstitial fluid within the tumor. This interstitial fluid flow can be mimicked using a microfluidic engineered tumor model. We have used this system to investigate the effects of normal, ketogenic, and post-prandial conditions on the growth and invasion of human breast tumors. Given that standard cell culture media contain amino acids, metabolites, and glucose at levels outside of the physiological range, we have taken advantage of human plasma-like medium (HPLM) to mimic normal conditions and supplemented HPLM with beta-hydroxybutyrate and insulin to mimic ketogenic and post-prandial conditions, respectively. Human tumor cells cultured under the different media conditions proliferate at similar rates in static, two-dimensional culture. However, we find differences in the growth rates of tumors cultured in the presence of the different media under flow. Tumors cultured in the presence of normal HPLM appeared to have smaller invasion areas and rates of invasion than those cultured under ketogenic or post-prandial conditions. We are currently examining the effects of these different media conditions on glucose metabolism and metabolite secretion in the microfluidic tumor model. Understanding these effects may eventually enable physicians to advise patients on diets that can slow their cancer progression.

Research Interests

I am interested in continuing a career in health-related research. I am particularly passionate about cancer research and combining my background in chemical engineering and biology to create models that allow us to investigate ways to slow cancer progression. My thesis work has focused on investigating the effects of intratumoral heterogeneity and diet on tumor growth and cancer cell invasion.