This summer I am working with David Nanus, M.D.  Dr. Nanus is a board certified oncologist specializing in genitourinary cancers and the Mark W. Pasmantier Professor of Hematology and Oncology in Medicine.  He is involved in several clinical trials – one aimed at evaluating the genetic characteristics of individuals with prostate cancer and another evaluating the ability of multiphoton microscopy to distinguish between malignant and non-malignant bladder cells. 

At the beginning of the week I met with the Nanus lab group and we ordered lab supplies from the friendly neighborhood science store.  The first to arrive were syringes followed by 27 gauge needles and Microrenathane micro tubes. The micro tubes attached to syringe pumps and fastened onto inverted microscopes will be the workhorse of our experimental setup.  By functionalizing the inner micro tube lumen with different chemicals, adhesive interactions between malignant and non-malignant cells to chemically treated micro tubes can be observed. We hope to increase both the number and purity of malignant cells isolated from cancer patient blood samples, which can enable the development of effective personalized cancer therapies.