Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Identification And Molecular Analysis Of Dna In Exosomes, Jena Tavormina

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Exosomes are heterogeneous nanoparticles 50-150nm in diameter. Exosomes contain many functional cargo components, such as protein, DNA, and RNA. While protein and RNA exosome content has been extensively studied, very little work has been done to characterize exosomal DNA. Here, we demonstrate that exosomal DNA is heterogeneous and its packaging into exosomes is dependent on the cell of origin. Furthermore, through a rigorous assessment of various isolation methods, we identify Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) as the best method for the isolation of exosomal DNA for downstream applications. Additionally, we evaluate the methylation status of exosomal DNA and demonstrate that exosomal …

Evaluating The Therapeutic Efficacy Of Grb2 Inhibition In Ovarian Malignancies, Olivia Lara

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Purpose: Adaptor proteins such as growth factor receptor-bound protein-2 (Grb2) play important roles in cancer cell signaling. In the present study, we examined the biological effects of liposomal antisense oligodeoxynucleotide that blocks Grb2 expression (L-Grb2) in ovarian cancer models.

Experimental Design: Murine orthotopic models of ovarian cancer (OVCAR5 and SKOV3ip1) were used to study the biological effects of L-Grb2 on tumor growth. In vitro experiments (cell viability assay, Western blot analysis, siRNA transfection, and reverse phase protein array) were carried out to elucidate the mechanism and potential predictors of tumor response to L-Grb2.

Results: Treatment with L-Grb2 decreased tumor growth …

Development Of Automated Radiotherapy Treatment Planning For Cervical And Breast Cancer For Resource-Constrained Clinics, Kelly Kisling

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Globally, cancer rates are on the rise, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, many of these countries lack access to radiotherapy, which is due in part to a substantial shortage of the staff necessary to deliver safe and effective radiotherapy. This staff shortage could be mitigated by the automation of the radiation treatment planning process. To this end, we developed automated planning for cervical and postmastectomy breast cancer radiotherapy, the two most common types of cancer in women in many LMICs.

For radiotherapy of cervical cancer in resource-constrained clinics, the recommended treatment technique is a four-field box. We …