CELLULAR DYNAMICS AS A MARKER OF NORMAL-TO-CANCER TRANSFORMATION

Normal to cancer transition (NTC), an ill understood process, has been shown to be closely associated to cell´s biomechanical properties which are dependant on the dynamical profile of the intracellular medium.Previous QENS experiments performed by the applicants to monitor the impact of drugs on the cytomatrix of cancer cells, as well as the influence of intracellular water dynamics on NTC transformation, evidenced the suitability of this approach for unveiling particular dynamical features of malignancy and achieving a better understanding of the NTC transition. The present proposal aims to extend these QENS studies to distinct types of human cancers, by using the unique capabilities of LET for QENS studies in order to help us characterise the different dynamical processes taking place within the heterogeneous cellular systems and how they change between healthy and malignant cells.