A New Way To Capture Cancer Cells’ Symphony

A team of UF researchers has shed new light on the functional mechanisms of spontaneous calcium waves in human colon and prostate cancer cells. The study, published Oct. 5 in the journal Biomaterials (impact factor: 15.4), indicated that calcium dynamics enable long-distance functional communication in electrically non-excitable cancer cells. The findings could contribute to the development of innovative therapies for tumor suppression.

The team, led by senior authors Xin Tang, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and a member of the UF Health Cancer Center, and Bo Zeng, Ph. D., professor at the Institute of Cardiovascular Research at Southwest Medical University in China, used fluorescent imaging of the genetically encoded calcium indicators in human colon, prostate and lung cancer cells.

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