Engineering Commons^™

Three-Dimensional Engineered Matrix To Study Cancer Stem Cells And Tumorsphere Formation: Effect Of Matrix Modulus, Xiaoming Yang, Samaneh Kamali Sarvestani, Seyedsina Moeinzadeh, Xuezhong He, Esmaiel Jabbari

Faculty Publications

Maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is regulated by the tumor microenvironment. Synthetic hydrogels provide the flexibility to design three-dimensional (3D) matrices to isolate and study individual factors in the tumor microenvironment. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of matrix modulus on tumorsphere formation by breast cancer cells and maintenance of CSCs in an inert microenvironment without the interference of other factors. In that regard, 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells were encapsulated in inert polyethylene glycol diacrylate hydrogels and the effect of matrix modulus on tumorsphere formation and expression of CSC markers was investigated. The gel …

Image Guidance During Breast Radiotherapy: A Phantom Dosimetry And Radiation-Induced Second Cancer Risk Study, A Quinn, L Holloway, Peter Metcalfe

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Imaging procedures utilised for patient position verification during breast radiotherapy can add a considerable dose to organs surrounding the target volume on top of therapeutic scatter dose. This study investigated the dose from a breast kilovoltage cone-beam CT (kV-CBCT), a breast megavoltage fan-beam CT (MV-FBCT), and a TomoDirectTM breast treatment. Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed within a female anthropomorphic phantom were utilised to measure the dose to various organs and tissues. The contralateral breast, lungs and heart received 0.40 cGy, 0.45 cGy and 0.40 cGy from the kV-CBCT and 1.74 cGy, 1.39 cGy and 1.73 cGy from the MV-FBCT. In comparison to …

Sendai Virus-Based Liposomes Enable Targeted Cytosolic Delivery Of Nanoparticles In Brain Tumor-Derived Cells, Veronica Dudu, Veronica Rotari, Maribel Vazquez

Publications and Research

BACKGROUND: Nanotechnology-based bioassays that detect the presence and/or absence of a combination of cell markers are increasingly used to identify stem or progenitor cells, assess cell heterogeneity, and evaluate tumor malignancy and/or chemoresistance. Delivery methods that enable nanoparticles to rapidly detect emerging, intracellular markers within cell clusters of biopsies will greatly aid in tumor characterization, analysis of functional state and development of treatment regimens.

RESULTS: Experiments utilized the Sendai virus to achieve in vitro, cytosolic delivery of Quantum dots in cells cultured from Human brain tumors. Using fluorescence microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy, in vitro experiments illustrated that these virus-based …

Computer Aided Decision Support System For Cervical Cancer Classification, - Rahmadwati, Golshah Naghdy, Montserrat B. Ros, Catherine Todd

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Conventional analysis of a cervical histology image, such a pap smear or a biopsy sample, is performed by an expert pathologist manually. This involves inspecting the sample for cellular level abnormalities and determining the spread of the abnormalities. Cancer is graded based on the spread of the abnormal cells. This is a tedious, subjective and timeconsuming process with considerable variations in diagnosis between the experts. This paper presents a computer aided decision support system (CADSS) tool to help the pathologists in their examination of the cervical cancer biopsies. The main aim of the proposed CADSS system is to identify abnormalities …

Microdosimetry For Targeted Alpha Therapy Of Cancer, Chen-Yu Huang, Susanna Guatelli, Brad Oborn, Barry J. Allen

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) has the advantage of delivering therapeutic doses to individual cancer cells while reducing the dose to normal tissues. TAT applications relate to hematologic malignancies and now extend to solid tumors. Results from several clinical trials have shown efficacy with limited toxicity. However, the dosimetry for the labeled alpha particle is challenging because of the heterogeneous antigen expression among cancer cells and the nature of short-range, high-LET alpha radiation. This paper demonstrates that it is inappropriate to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of TAT bymacrodosimetry. The objective of this work is to review the microdosimetry of TAT as …

Migration And Invasion Of Brain Tumors, Richard A. Able, Jr., Veronica Dudu, Maribel Vazquez

Publications and Research

Recent advances in molecular biology have led to new insights in the development, growth and infiltrative behaviors of primary brain tumors (Demuth and Berens, 2004; Huse and Holland, 2010; Johnson et al., 2009; Kanu et al., 2009). These tumors are derived from various brain cell lineages and have been historically classified on the basis of morphological and, more recently, immunohistochemical features with less emphasis on their underlying molecular pathogenesis (Huse and Holland, 2010). The detailed molecular characterization of brain tumors has laid the groundwork for augmentation of standard treatment with patient-specific designed targeted therapies (Johnson et al., 2009; Kanu et …

Detection Of Antibodies Directed At M. Hyorhinis P37 In The Serum Of Men With Newly Diagnosed Prostate Cancer, Cydney Urbanek, Steve Goodison, Myron Chang, Stacy Porvasnik, Noburo Sakamoto, Chen-Zhong Li, Susan K. Boehlein, Charles J. Rosser

Department of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Recent epidemiologic, genetic, and molecular studies suggest infection and inflammation initiate certain cancers, including cancers of the prostate. Over the past several years, our group has been studying how mycoplasmas could possibly initiate and propagate cancers of the prostate. Specifically, Mycoplasma hyorhinis encoded protein p37 was found to promote invasion of prostate cancer cells and cause changes in growth, morphology and gene expression of these cells to a more aggressive phenotype. Moreover, we found that chronic exposure of benign human prostate cells to M. hyorhinis resulted in significant phenotypic and karyotypic changes that ultimately resulted in the malignant transformation …

Energy Deposition In The Breast During Ct Scanning: Quantification And Implications For Dose Reduction, Franco Rupcich, Iacovos Kyprianou, Andreu Badal, Taly Gilat Schmidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Studies suggest that dose to the breast leads to a higher lifetime attributable cancer incidence risk from a chest CT scan for women compared to men. Numerous methods have been proposed for reducing dose to the breast during CT scanning, including bismuth shielding, tube current modulation, partial-angular scanning, and reduced kVp. These methods differ in how they alter the spectrum and fluence across projection angle. This study used Monte Carlo CT simulations of a voxelized female phantom to investigate the energy (dose) deposition in the breast as a function of both photon energy and projection angle. The resulting dose deposition …

Kinetics Of Dna And Rna Hybridization In Serum And Serum-Sds, Elton Graugnard, Amber Cox, Jeunghoon Lee, Cheryl Jorcyk, Bernard Yurke, William L. Hughes

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cancer is recognized as a serious health challenge both in the United States and throughout the world. While early detection and diagnosis of cancer leads to decreased mortality rates, current screening methods require significant time and costly equipment. Recently, increased levels of certain micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) in the blood have been linked to the presence of cancer. While blood-based biomarkers have been used for years in cancer detection, studies analyzing trace amounts of miRNAs in blood and serum samples are just the beginning. Recent developments in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nanotechnology and DNA computing have shown that it is possible to …

A Review Of Autoimmune Diseases Associated With Cancer, Patricia Tai, Edward Yu, Kurian Joseph, Thomas Miale

Oncology Publications

The focus of this review is on the relationships between autoimmune diseases and cancer from two closely related perspectives: 1.Those autoimmune diseases which are often associated with malignancies. 2.Those prevalent cancers which may increase the risks of developing autoimmune disorders. The review concludes with a brief discussion of some selected innovative approaches to cancer immunotherapy.

Prostate Cancer Region Prediction Using Maldi Mass Spectra, Ayyappa Vadlamudi, Shao-Hui Chuang, Xiaoyan Sun, Lisa Cazares, Julius Nyalwidhe, Dean Troyer, O. John Semmes, Jiang Li, Frederic D. Mckenzie

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

For the early detection of prostate cancer, the analysis of the Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in serum is currently the most popular approach. However, previous studies show that 15% of men have prostate cancer even their PSA concentrations are low. MALDI Mass Spectrometry (MS) proves to be a better technology to discover molecular tools for early cancer detection. The molecular tools or peptides are termed as biomarkers. Using MALDI MS data from prostate tissue samples, prostate cancer biomarkers can be identified by searching for molecular or molecular combination that can differentiate cancer tissue regions from normal ones. Cancer tissue regions are …

Methods For Cancer Detection, Kimberly W. Anderson, Kimberly M.L. May, Leonidas G. Bachas

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

A method is provided for detecting an analyte indicative of a cancer or a metastatic disease condition, which utilizes the ability of the analyte to induce permeability in a barrier. The method includes providing a biosensor having a barrier which is substantially impermeable to an ion, a permeable membrane which is selective for the ion, and a detector capable of detecting the ion. The biosensor is contacted with a sample including at least one of the ion and the analyte, wherein the analyte causes at least a portion of the ion to pass through the barrier and the membrane. Passage …

Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition And Breast Cancer, Eva Tomaskovic-Crook, Erik W. Thompson, Jean Paul Thiery

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in breast carcinoma encompasses the phenotypic spectrum whereby epithelial carcinoma cells within a primary tumor acquire mesenchymal features and re-epithelialize to form a cohesive secondary mass at a metastatic site. Such plasticity has implications in progression of breast carcinoma to metastasis, and will likely influence response to therapy. The transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of molecular and cellular processes that underlie breast cancer and result in characteristic changes in cell behavior can be monitored using an increasing array of marker proteins. Amongst these markers exists the potential for emergent prognostic, predictive and therapeutic targeting.

Mathematical Modeling Of Oral Cavity Mucositis, Jason White

Honors Scholar Theses

Oral Mucositis is a condition seen in post-treatment mouth cancer patients and is a condition of which the pathobiology is not entirely known. It is a condition that shares many common pathways with other alimentary tract injuries such as inflammatory bowel disease. Mathematical modeling of the system can help to identify gaps in the current knowledge base as well as assist in generating new hypotheses and predicting clinical outcomes of conditions. A detailed mathematical model would assist researchers in determining which drug targets are worthwhile investigating. Deterministic modeling and Virtual Cell&#; software were used to assign rate constants to each …

Clustering Of High-Dimensional Gene Expression Data With Feature Filtering Methods And Diffusion Maps, Rui Xu, Steven Damelin, Boaz Nadler, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The importance of gene expression data in cancer diagnosis and treatment by now has been widely recognized by cancer researchers in recent years. However, one of the major challenges in the computational analysis of such data is the curse of dimensionality, due to the overwhelming number of measures of gene expression levels versus the small number of samples. Here, we use a two-step method to reduce the dimension of gene expression data. At first, we extract a subset of genes based on the statistical characteristics of their corresponding gene expression measurements. For further dimensionality reduction, we then apply diffusion maps, …

Applications Of Diffusion Maps In Gene Expression Data-Based Cancer Diagnosis Analysis, Rui Xu, Donald C. Wunsch, Steven Damelin

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Early detection of a tumor's site of origin is particularly important for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The employment of gene expression profiles for different cancer types or subtypes has already shown significant advantages over traditional cancer classification methods. One of the major problems in cancer type recognition-oriented gene expression data analysis is the overwhelming number of measures of gene expression levels versus the small number of samples, which causes the curse of dimension issue. Here, we use diffusion maps, which interpret the eigenfunctions of Markov matrices as a system of coordinates on the original data set in order to obtain …

Classification Of Terahertz Data As A Tool For The Detection Of Cancer, Matthew J. Berryman, T. J. Rainsford

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

The early detection of cancers is critical with respect to treatment and patient survival. Biopsy techniques that are currently employed for such diagnoses are invasive, time consuming and costly. A Terahertz (THz) imaging system potentially provides a fast and non-invasive way to detect and diagnose cancer. While there is proof of concept that THz can distinguish cancerous and normal tissue, the mechanisms underlying this differentiation are not well understood. A better understanding of THz spectral data can be gained through computational pattern recognition and related multivariate statistical tools. These allow for the differentiation of data into discrete and disjoint groups. …

Microwave Reflectometry As A Novel Diagnostic Tool For Detection Of Skin Cancers, Pratik Mehta, Kundan Chand, Deepak Narayanswamy, Daryl G. Beetner, R. Zoughi, William V. Stoecker

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

More than 1 000 000 people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the United States, and more than 10 000 people die from the disease. Methods such as visual inspection and dermoscopy are available for early detection of skin cancers, but improvement in accuracy is needed. This paper investigates the use of microwave reflectometry as a potential diagnostic tool for detection of skin cancers. Open-ended coaxial probes were used to measure microwave properties of skin. The influences of measurement parameters such as probe application pressure, power level, and variation in reflection properties of skin with location and hydration …

Classification And Statistical Analysis Of Skin Cancer Terahertz Spectra, Matthew J. Berryman, T J. Rainsford, D Abbott

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

We are developing computational, statistical pattern recognition tools that allow for the separation of various THz spectral data obtained from normal, pre-cancerous and cancerous tissue.

Gene Expression Data For Dlbcl Cancer Survival Prediction With A Combination Of Machine Learning Technologies, Rui Xu, Xindi Cai, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gene expression profiles have become an important and promising way for cancer prognosis and treatment. In addition to their application in cancer class prediction and discovery, gene expression data can be used for the prediction of patient survival. Here, we use particle swarm optimization (PSO) to address one of the major challenges in gene expression data analysis, the curse of dimensionality, in order to discriminate high risk patients from low risk patients. A discrete binary version of PSO is used for gene selection and dimensionality reduction, and a probabilistic neural network (PNN) is implemented as the classifier. The experimental results …

Multi-Class Cancer Classification By Semi-Supervised Ellipsoid Artmap With Gene Expression Data, Rui Xu, Donald C. Wunsch, Georgios C. Anagnostopoulos

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To accurately identify the site of origin of a tumor is crucial to cancer diagnosis and treatment. With the emergence of DNA microarray technologies, constructing gene expression profiles for different cancer types has already become a promising means for cancer classification. In addition to binary classification, the discrimination of multiple tumor types is also important semi-supervised ellipsoid ARTMAP (ssEAM) is a novel neural network architecture rooted in adaptive resonance theory suitable for classification tasks. ssEAM can achieve fast, stable and finite learning and create hyper-ellipsoidal clusters inducing complex nonlinear decision boundaries. Here, we demonstrate the capability of ssEAM to discriminate …

In Vivo Dosimetry And Seed Localization In Prostate Brachytherapy With Permanent Implants, Anatoly B. Rosenfeld, Dean Cutajar, M. L. Lerch, G. J. Takacs, J. Brady, T. Braddock, V. Perevertailo, J. Bucci, J. Kersley, M. Zaider, M. Zelefsky

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on the development of an interactive, intraoperative dose planning system for seed implant brachytherapy in cancer treatment. This system involves in vivo dosimetry and the ability to determine implanted seed positions. The first stage of this project is the development of a urethral alarm probe to measure the dose along the urethra during a prostate brachytherapy treatment procedure. Ultimately, the system will be used to advise the physicians upon reaching a preset dose rate or dose after total seed decay in the urethra during the seed placement. The second stage is the development of a method and …

Detection Of Basal Cell Carcinoma Using Electrical Impedance And Neural Networks, Rohit Dua, Daryl G. Beetner, William V. Stoecker, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Variations in electrical impedance over frequency might be used to distinguish basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from benign skin lesions, although the patterns that separate the two are nonobvious. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) may be good pattern classifiers for this application. A preliminary study to show the potential of neural networks to distinguish benign from malignant skin lesions using electrical impedance is presented. Electrical impedance was measured in vivo from 1 kHz to 1 MHz at five virtual depths on 18 BCC and 16 benign or premalignant lesions. A feed-forward neural network was trained using back propagation to classify these lesions. …

Probabilistic Neural Networks For Multi-Class Tissue Discrimination With Gene Expression Data, Rui Xu, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

With the emergence and rapid advancement of DNA microarray technologies, construction of gene expression profiles for different cancer types has already become a promising means for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Most previous research has focused on binary classification. Here, we use a probabilistic neural network (PNN) for multi-classification of cancer data. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the PNN in addressing gene expression data.

Tissue Classification Through Analysis Of Gene Expression Data Using A New Family Of Art Architectures, Rui Xu, Georgios C. Anagnostopoulos, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Correct classification is crucial to cancer diagnosis and treatment. We demonstrate that a new family of neural network architectures-Ellipsoid ART and ARTMAP (EA/EAM)-can cluster and classify tissues successfully through analysis of gene expression data generated by DNA microarray experiments

Accuracy And Precision Of Computer-Simulated Tissue Temperatures In Individual Human Intracranial Tumours Treated With Interstitial Hyperthermia, J A. Deford, Charles F. Babbs, U H. Patel, N E. Fearnot, J A. Marchosky, C J. Moran

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Accurate knowledge of tissue temperature is necessary for effective delivery of clinical hyperthermia in the treatment of malignant tumours. This report compares computer-predicted versus measured intratumoral temperatures in 11 human subjects with intracranial tumours, treated with a conceptually simple 'conductive' interstitial hyperthermia system. Interstitial hyperthermia was achieved by the use of parallel arrays of implanted, electrically heated catheters. The tissue was warmed by thermal conduction and blood convection. Simulation of intratumoral temperatures was achieved by solving a modified bioheat transfer equation on a digital computer using a finite difference method. Comparison of intratumoral temperatures from simulations and measured values differed …

Use Of Combined Systemic Hypothermia And Local Heat Treatment To Enhance Temperature Differences Between Tumor And Normal Tissues, Charles F. Babbs, William D. Voorhees Iii, Robert R. Clark, David P. Dewitt

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

The feasibility of combining local heat treatment with wholebody hypothermia in an effort to improve therapeutic gain was assessed. Superficial, non perfused phantom tumors were fashioned in eight anesthetized mongrel dogs by transplantation of the spleen from the abdomen to a subcutaneous site on the hind limb. After pretreatment of the animal with the vasodilator hydralazine (0.5 mg/kg, IV) to enhance normal tissue perfusion, the spleen implant was heated with a 2450-MHz microwave diathermy apparatus, first with the animal's core body temperature in the normal range (39°C) and then after the animal had been packed in ice to reduce core …

Biology Of Local Heat Therapy For Cancer, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Successful cancer therapy must selectively destroy tumor tissue while sparing the host's normal tissues. Local heat treatment can have such a selective effect because abnormalities in tumor blood vessels supply less oxygen to heat-stressed tumor cells and are less efficient in cooling tumor tissue by blood perfusion.

Theoretical Feasibility Of Vasodilator-Enhanced Local Tumor Heating, Charles F. Babbs, David P. Dewitt, William D. Voorhees, Janet S. Mccaw, Rosanna C. Chan

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Normal arterioles, in contrast to the abnormal microvasculature of many solid tumors, provide a target for selective drug action that can enhance local heat treatment of the tumors. Measurements of tissue blood flow with radioactive microspheres and estimates of changes in blood flow with thermal clearance methods revealed that vasodilator drugs either decreased or did not alter blood flow in hamster melanoma, rat hepatoma, and canine transmissible venereal tumor, while increasing perfusion in adjacent normal tissues 2 to 4-fold. Solutions of the bio-heat transfer equation, which take into account such selective effects of vasodilators on blood flow in normal tissues, …

Physical Principles Of Local Heat Therapy For Cancer, Charles F. Babbs, David P. Dewitt

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Local hyperthermia therapy for cancer can produce selective heating of solid tumors on the basis of known physical laws. If energy is deposited in the general region of the tumor, temperature tends to develop in the tumor higher than that in surrounding normal tissues. The goal of therapy is to achieve cytotoxic temperature elevations in the tumor for an adequate period of time, without damaging nearby normal tissues. Several modalities exist for local heat treatment, of which radiofrequency and ultrasound offer the most promise for controlled, localized heating at depth. A paucity of blood flow in the tumor compared to …