Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting | Ascona, Switzerland

Liposomes, Exosomes, and Virosomes: From Modeling Complex Membrane Processes to Medical Diagnostics and Drug Delivery

Poster Abstracts

47-POS Board 24 Circulating Microparticles as Intercellular Communication Tools Between Platelets and Cancer Cells: A Complex Relationship Investigated by an "On Chip" Approach Sameh OBEID 1 , Benoit Le Roy de Boiseaumarié 1 , Thierry Burnouf 2 , Wilfrid Boireau 1 , Céline Elie-Caille 1 . 1 FEMTO-ST, Besançon, France, 2 Graduate Institute of Biomedical materials and Tissue Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. In cancer, the interaction of the abnormal malignant cells with their microenvironment is essential for tumor development, later progression and the development of metastatic disease. The tumor microenvironment is a collective term that includes the tumor’s surrounding and supportive stroma, the different effectors of the immune system, blood platelets, hormones and other humoral factors. A better understanding of the interplay between the tumor cells and its microenvironment can provide efficient tools for cancer prevention, screening and risk assessment protocols. Platelets are key players in hemostasis and thrombosis, and they also have much broader roles in balancing health and disease. Platelets also interact with inflammatory and immune cells, mediating between inflammation and thrombosis. Moreover, complex interactions between tumor cells and circulating platelets play an important role regulating tumor growth, dissemination and angiogenesis1,2. Platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) also share a pathological function in this complex interaction. Microparticles (MPs) are small (50 to 1000 nm) plasma membrane remnants shed from cells upon their activation or apoptosis. They are an important intercellular communication tool and may modify cellular behavior in certain conditions. MPs load consists of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, including microRNA, which may be transferred horizontally between cells3. In cancer, oncogenic pathways drive production of MPs, and also stimulate production of MPs harboring tissue factor (TF) that contributes to cancer-induced thrombosis4. MPs also correlate with processes related to cell aggressiveness including tumor growth and metastasis. In this particular MPs-cancer context, we propose to deeper characterize the MPs subpopulations produced by cancer cells alone and in the presence of platelets. Our “on chip” strategy, based on Surface Plasmon Resonance and Atomic Force Microscopy coupling, enables the determination of MPs cell origin and size subpopulations.

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