Ovarian cancer (OvCa) is the leading cause of deaths from gynecologic malignancies, and disseminates predominantly along ascitic currents in the peritoneum. The role of fluidic streams as modulators of OvCa metastatic progression and biomarker expression remains poorly explored. Models that capture critical biological and physical determinants of OvCa growth and treatment response are needed to enhance the translational potential of new therapeutic strategies. It is increasingly evident that no single treatment will be curative for metastatic OvCa. Rationally-designed combinations that impact multiple targets will most likely improve outcomes. Specifically, photodynamic therapy (PDT), a light-based cytotoxic modality, synergizes with chemo- and biological therapies. However, rapidly identifying treatments that cooperatively improve efficacy from the vast library of candidate interventions is not feasible with current systems. The goal of this proposal is to integrate microfluidics with heterocellular 3D OvCa models to create the first system to evaluate the effects of fluid hydrodynamics on OvCa progression. As a clear and distinct path to independence, Dr. Rizvi will use this platform to design therapeutic strategies uniquely based on flow-induced changes in molecular target expression. During the mentored K99 phase, OvCa cells will be cultured under precisely controlled laminar flow in microfluidic channels with tissue constructs that mimic common metastatic sites (omentum and peritoneum). Corresponding heterocellular 3D OvCa models will be developed in the absence of flow to gain insights into quantitative optical imaging of biomarker expression, 3D tumor modeling, and design of targeted therapies. Dr. Rizvi's transition to independence in the R00 phase will focus first on quantifying flow-rate dependent changes in OvCa growth and molecular target profiles. Lastly, targeted therapies informed by flow- induced changes in molecular expression will be evaluated in combination with PDT. The K99/R00 mechanism will enable development of the first treatment screening platform to model the influence of fluid hydrodyamics on OvCa metastases. The resulting platform will be applicable to a broad array of tumors with differential dissemination routes. A mentoring committee has been assembled to guide Dr. Rizvi's research and facilitate his transition to independence. Primary mentorship will be provided by Dr. Utkan Demirci, who will train Dr. Rizvi in principles of fluid dynamics and engineering of microfluidic devices. Dr. Tayyaba Hasan, an expert in quantitative biomedical optics, rationally-designed targeted therapies and 3D tumor models will serve as co- mentor. There is a notable addition to the mentoring committee in Dr. Patricia Donahoe, Dean of the DoD Ovarian Cancer Academy, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, and a tenured Professor of Surgery at Harvard. Additional distinguished mentors are Dr. David Kaplan, an expert in biomaterials and tissue engineering, Dr. Sandra Orsulic, an expert in the molecular characteristics of OvCa and Dr. Esther Oliva, a clinical pathologist focused on gynecologic malignancies. The opportunities provided by this award will allow Dr. Rizvi to pursue this potentially ground-breaking research, and will provide valuable mentorship to enable his successful transition to an independent and productive scientific career.

Public Health Relevance

Ovarian cancer (OvCa) remains the leading cause of deaths from gynecologic tumors in the United States. OvCa cells spread (metastasize) along currents of abdominal fluid that may change the biology of OvCa. This proposal will build the first tumor model that accounts for the influence of fluidic currents on OvCa growth, and will develop new treatments based on the altered biology of tumors grown under flow to improve outcomes. The written critiques of individual reviewers are provided in essentially unedited form in this section. Please note that these critiques and criteria scores were prepared prior to the meeting and may not have been revised subsequent to any discussions at the review meeting. The Resume and Summary of Discussion section above summarizes the final opinions of the committee.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Career Transition Award (K99)
Project #
1K99CA175292-01A1
Application #
8635808
Study Section
Subcommittee G - Education (NCI)
Program Officer
Schmidt, Michael K
Project Start
2014-03-01
Project End
2016-02-28
Budget Start
2014-03-01
Budget End
2015-02-28
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
$174,871
Indirect Cost
$12,953
Name
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
030811269
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
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Huang, Huang-Chiao; Rizvi, Imran; Liu, Joyce et al. (2018) Photodynamic Priming Mitigates Chemotherapeutic Selection Pressures and Improves Drug Delivery. Cancer Res 78:558-571
Huang, Huang-Chiao; Liu, Joyce; Baglo, Yan et al. (2018) Mechanism-informed Repurposing of Minocycline Overcomes Resistance to Topoisomerase Inhibition for Peritoneal Carcinomatosis. Mol Cancer Ther 17:508-520
Huang, Huang-Chiao; Mallidi, Srivalleesha; Liu, Joyce et al. (2016) Photodynamic Therapy Synergizes with Irinotecan to Overcome Compensatory Mechanisms and Improve Treatment Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 76:1066-77
Mallidi, Srivalleesha; Mai, Zhiming; Rizvi, Imran et al. (2015) In vivo evaluation of battery-operated light-emitting diode-based photodynamic therapy efficacy using tumor volume and biomarker expression as endpoints. J Biomed Opt 20:048003
Spring, Bryan Q; Rizvi, Imran; Xu, Nan et al. (2015) The role of photodynamic therapy in overcoming cancer drug resistance. Photochem Photobiol Sci 14:1476-91
Hempstead, Joshua; Jones, Dustin P; Ziouche, Abdelali et al. (2015) Low-cost photodynamic therapy devices for global health settings: Characterization of battery-powered LED performance and smartphone imaging in 3D tumor models. Sci Rep 5:10093