(News item prepared by Patience Graybill, Wash U)

Researchers have thought that cancer begins when a single cell goes rogue in the body then begins to grow and multiply. Now, they are investigating evidence of more damage when a group of cells breaks off from a colony and more follow, leading to large-scale metastasis.

Amit Pathak, a mechanical engineer at Washington University and CEMB affiliate (see June 25 announcement of Pathak’s SEED Grant from CEMB), plans to take a closer look at various aspects of cell group behavior with a prestigious five-year, $1.9 million grant for early-stage investigators from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Outstanding Investigator Award provides support for research that falls within the mission of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) program. The funding gives an investigator flexibility to conduct research without specific aims.

Read more: https://engineering.wustl.edu/news/Pages/Role-of-cell-group-behavior-in-cancer-target-of-1-point-9-million-dollar-award.aspx