One of the greatest obstacles facing immune cell therapies for solid tumors is that immune cells often cannot physically penetrate deep into dense tumor tissue. While most immunotherapy research focuses on improving how immune cells recognize cancer, far less is understood about the physical barriers that block immune infiltration.
Dr. Rosas studies the mechanics of how cells move and interact within tissues. During his doctoral work, he developed innovative three-dimensional tumor models and uncovered how physical forces alone can disrupt normal tissue structure and behavior.
This project focuses on macrophages, immune cells capable of entering tumors and attacking cancer cells. Dr. Rosas aims to determine how the physical properties of tumor cells — including surface tension and cell-cell adhesion strength — influence the ability of macrophages to infiltrate tumors.
Using advanced live-cell imaging and next-generation RNA sequencing, he will measure how macrophages respond to different epithelial surface properties and identify the adhesion molecules that control these interactions. The findings could reveal entirely new ways to improve immune cell infiltration into solid tumors and enhance the effectiveness of future cell-based immunotherapies.
Mentor
Maria Akhmanova, PhD
Projects and Grants
Epithelial mechanics guide macrophage infiltration
