How stiffness of tissues around mouth cancers affects tumor spread
Material Stiffness Directs Oral Cancer Migration
This project looks at whether firmer tissue around oral squamous cell carcinoma makes cancer cells change and move more, aiming to help people with mouth cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11134642 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, the team will recreate the stiffer tissue found at the edges of mouth cancers in the lab and watch how oral cells respond. They will study cancer cell behavior, including whether cells shift into a more mobile, aggressive state and how they move through the surrounding material. The researchers will use molecular tools to read changes in gene activity and cell signaling linked to stiffness, such as chromatin and pathway analyses. They will also compare lab findings with patient tumor and margin samples to connect tissue stiffness with how tumors invade and come back.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults with oral squamous cell carcinoma, especially patients having surgery who can donate tumor and margin tissue for research.
Not a fit: People without oral cancer or those not able or willing to provide tissue samples or travel for study visits are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to prevent or slow oral cancer spread by targeting the stiff tumor environment or the cell changes it causes.
How similar studies have performed: Work in breast cancer has shown that tissue stiffness can drive aggressive tumor behavior, but studying this specifically in oral cancer is relatively new with only a few prior studies and encouraging early data.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Engler, Adam J — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Engler, Adam J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.