The Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) has awarded a Seed Grant to a promising study on breast cancer metastasis led by CCIL member and bioengineering professor Ashok Samuel. This project aims to examine the biochemical shifts in small molecules that enable breast cancer cells to develop migratory capabilities during metastasis. Samuel collaborates with CCIL members and bioengineering professors Susan Leggett and Jonathan Sweedler, using advanced imaging techniques to decode the chemical structures of small molecules that drive cell behavior. Though focused on breast cancer, the team’s research is expected to yield insights with broad applications for metastasis in various cancers.
Written by Javeria Malik
Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) member Ashok Samuel
The Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) Seed Grant program awarded a promising study of breast cancer metastasis led by Ashok Samuel, a CCIL member and a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering at Illinois. CCIL Seed grants provide funding that enables faculty teams to develop noble cancer research ideas, collect preliminary data and attract external funding.
Samuel’s project “Imaging Intratumoral Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer Cells Across Epithelial to Mesenchymal Phenotypes by Targeting Submicron Organelle Specific Small-Molecule Chemical Landscape” focuses on addressing metastasis, the advanced stage of cancer where the cancer cells start spreading to other parts of the body, making it very difficult to treat.
“During metastasis a series of sequential events enables tumor cells to acquire migratory abilities, ultimately making them capable of infiltrating adjacent tissue and eventually spreading to different parts of the body. Effective medical therapy becomes exceedingly challenging at this advanced stage of cancer, even with treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation,” said Samuel.
Collaborating with Samuel on this project are CCIL members Susan Leggett, an assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering, and Jonathan Sweedler, the James R. Eiszner Family Endowed Chair in Chemistry. The team aims to understand biochemical changes in small molecules as stable cells develop migratory traits.
“These small molecules can be thought of as a type of “currency” for proteins within cells, facilitating the flow of information that drives cellular behavior. By disrupting or halting this molecular exchange, we may gain insights into how cancer progresses toward metastasis”, Samuel elaborated. To achieve this goal, the team has developed strategies to decode chemical structures from optical frequency responses, advancing beyond traditional approaches that rely solely on image contrast at specific characteristic frequencies.
Currently in its early stages, this project holds strong potential to advance cancer research by addressing critical questions about underlying cancer mechanisms, i.e., how and why cell migration occurs, with future implications for cancer treatment. Although the focus of this research is on breast cancer, the findings of this research are broadly applicable for different types of cancers. “The techniques have general applicability, and there is room for detailed future studies to understand how the findings might vary across different cancer types”, said Samuel.
Editor’s notes:
Ashok Samuel is a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering and a member of the Cancer Center at Illinois. He can be reached at azsamuel@illinois.edu.