Probing Bone Metastasis of Cancer

ONLINE ONLY

Meeting ID: 920 5810 3689

Password: 936576

Seminar Guest Name: Prof. Kalpana S. Katti, North Dakota State University, Distinguished Professor
Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering, CIE 201J,
Director, Center for Engineered Cancer Testbeds
Affiliate Faculty, Nanotechnology, and Nanomaterials 
Affiliate Faculty, Biomedical Engineering

Host: Gunjan Agarwal

Abstract: It is estimated by WHO that there are about 3.4M cases of breast and prostate cancer each year.  These two cancers alone result in about 1M deaths worldwide each year. Over 90% of the fatalities result from metastasis or the migration and colonization of cancer to a remote site. For both breast and prostate cancer, that location is eventually bone.  Skeletal failures are often the cause of death in these patients. A lack of understanding of cancer biology, in particular the impact on osteogenesis, results from difficulties in obtaining human samples and failure of animal models.  We use bone tissue engineering approaches to design novel nanoclay based polymer composites to create bone-mimetic scaffolds. The bone scaffolds mimic the remodeling bone niche through biomimetic bone mineralization and vesicular delivery of bone mineral in the extra-cellular space. Human breast and prostate cancer cells from commercial and patient derived sources are seeded on the engineered bone to generate human bone metastatic breast and prostate cancer tumors. Gene expression studies for the tumoroids created at bone metastasis are indicative of the mesenchymal to epithelial transition or late stage of metastasis to bone. In addition, we also report influence of the tumor cells on the surrounding bone through disruption in the Wnt/b-catenin pathways that are relevant for osteogenesis. The role of cancer cells on osteogenesis has important ramifications on the bone stabilizing therapies that are often administered to bone metastasis patients. We also use the bone metastasis testbed to screen novel drugs and food supplements. This testbed is also used to develop new biomarkers of metastasis for which both commercial and patient-derived cell lines are used. We use direct nanoindentation based nanomechanical experiments to evaluate elastic and viscoelastic properties of cancer cells at the progression of metastasis illustrating the use of mechanics as a new biomarker. We also use IR and RAMAN spectroscopy to develop markers for progression of metastasis. The cancer testbed is a viable next generation tool to investigate cancer biology at metastasis, screen new drugs, and also provide a means for personalized medicine and enable discovery of new biomarkers for metastasis.

Bio: Dr. Kalpana Katti is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University. At NDSU, she has established a state-of-the-art materials characterization laboratory that houses advanced nanomechanical and infrared spectroscopic equipment as well as a Tissue Engineering Laboratory.  She has served as PI on infrastructure development grants bringing advanced electron microscopes with federal funding that have led to significant expansion of the Electron Microscopy facility at NDSU. She also spearheaded a new doctoral program in Materials and Nanotechnology at NDSU. She leads the NDSU Center for Engineered Cancer TestBeds (CECT) and also the newly established NSF EPSCoR Center for cellular Biointerfaces in Science and Engineering. She has brought in research funding over $26M. She has published 200 publications in Journals, conference proceedings and book chapters including 125 Journal articles.  She has received the most cited award from the journal Colloids and Interfaces for the 2004-2007 years. She is also a NSF CAREER awardee. She is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She received the Phi Kappa Phi lectureship in 2021, Waldron award for excellence in research in 2018, Peltier award for innovations in teaching in 2007, College of Engineering Researcher of the year 2003 and 2018, and the 52nd faculty lectureship award in 2011 at NDSU. She is also the recipient of the Roon award from Federation of Coatings Technologies in 1999 and Presidential Scholar award from Microscopy Society of America in 1996. She has given over 70 invited, keynote and plenary lectures at national and international conferences.

Contributions to Science: Dr. Katti is a materials scientist with extensive background in basic and advanced materials characterization such XRD, Analytical Electron microscopy-SEM and TEM, Nanomechanics, Atomic Force microscopy, FTIR, FT RAMAN, and Electron energy loss spectroscopy. She has extensive experience in design and characterization of advanced nanocomposite materials of synthetic, geologic and biological origins.   Dr Katti’s primary area of research is in advanced nanocomposites for tissue engineering, cancer scaffolds and biomimetics. The Katti group has developed novel nanoclay based nanocomposites for biomedical applications by using novel amino acid modifications of the clays minerals. She has also used the nanoclays in applications as asphalt additives and as coatings and structural composites. She has also led multiscale modeling and experimental studies on biological nanocomposite systems such as seashells and bone. Recently her group has successfully developed bone mimetic scaffolds that create cancer tumors in advanced stages of metastasis of cancer to bone thus enabling a humanoid testing of anticancer drugs and for understanding late-stage cancer progression and developing new interventional technologies. Her group has made important breakthroughs such as discovery of third-tier of hierarchy in collagen structure, discovery of interlocking of platelets in nacre (in seashells) and describing the important role of mineral-protein interactions in bone mechanics.

Leadership and Diversity: Dr Katti is actively involved in several professional societies in leadership and service roles. At the Materials Research Society, she chairs the Career Advancement committee, has chaired the Academic Affairs committee, chaired subcommittee on University Chapters, been a MRS Bulletin Organizer, and served on the New Products and Publications subcommittee of the MRS Publications Committee. Her involvement in other societies includes chairing the Biomechanics and Properties of Materials committees of Engineering Mechanics Institute of ASCE, as well as serving on molecular modeling and characterization committee of EMI and the Biomaterials committee of TMS. She regularly organizes symposia for MRS, TMS, and MS&T. At her institution, she has spearheaded a new doctoral program in Materials and Nanotechnology that includes a Biomaterials focus. She gives numerous talks, organizes outreach events and communicates the scientific advances in bone tissue engineering to North Dakota. She reviews papers and proposals for several publishers and federal agencies in the US, Europe, Australia, Asia and South America

Dr. Katti is an advocate for women scientists and students and has made consistent efforts towards increasing diversity in the STEM areas. She has also made efforts towards science promotion in the region. These efforts are focused at various levels of university, local and regional outreach as well as one-on-one grassroots efforts in mentoring young female students at NDSU campus. At NDSU she participated in the core team of faculty that put together a successful NSF ADVANCE grant. The NSF grant helped create the FORWARD (https://www.ndsu.edu/forward/) program with goals pertaining to recruitment, retention, and promotion of women faculty. She serves as a graduate program coordinator for the Civil and Environmental engineering program that is clearly one of the largest doctoral programs (47 Ph.D. students) at NDSU and also one of high quality as measured with the metric of student Journal publication (4.5/student). She teaches a graduate level course on Preparing Future Faculty (MNT745) at NDSU on the numerous issues of a faculty career, from obtaining faculty positions to promotion and leadership. She has participated in numerous statewide activities including speaking to diverse groups around the state about science and technology. She engages in the science advocacy issues of Materials Research Society through participation in a core group communicating the importance of supporting science to senators and Members of Congress in Washington DC on congressional days.