Longitudinal in vivo MRE study on mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Karolina Garczynska, Jing Guo

Tumor progression, reorganization and migration of cancer cells cause changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and stromal cells, the so called tumor surrounding environment (TSE).

In the first part of the project, we plan to study longitudinally hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most aggressive and prevalent tumor types, in an orthotropic, syngeneic mouse model. Using in vivo MRE , we will investigate the mechanical properties of both HCC and its TSE during tumorigenesis. We will also compare our in vivo findings with ex vivo histopathological analysis which could link mechanical property variation with micro-structural alternation.

In the second part of our project, we will treat our HCC bearing mice with novel fusion proteins and monitor the mechanical and biological treatment response with in vivo MRE and ex vivo analysis, respectively. Treatment response of fusion proteins will also be compared with that of conventional chemotherapy.

The aims of this project are to establish an elastographic model of cancerous liver considering also the contribution of ECM in TSE and to develop smart drugs for cancer treatment.