Physical Sciences Oncology Center

At the Center for Transport Oncophysics (CTO) at Houston Methodist, our scientists and researchers work diligently to uncover the physics of mass transport within a cancer lesion and mass exchanges between cancer and surrounding host biology. As we understand the mechanisms, our goal is to use that knowledge to develop and improve cancer diagnosis and treatment. The approach we use to study transport oncophysics is to integrate mathematics, engineered transport probes and state-of-the-art imaging.

Our team is focused on two specific cancer types — colorectal cancer (the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.) and liver metastasis (the most common site of metastatic disease). One of our major projects includes investigating the physical barriers to the evolution of liver metastasis from colorectal cancer by applying new and innovative carriers in an attempt to breach these barriers.

The center is 1 of 12 supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as part of a collaborative network dedicated to exploring new and innovative approaches to improve understanding and control of cancer.


PS-OC CTO Education

 

At the center, we provide ongoing educational and training opportunities so our professionals can expand their knowledge of cancer transport physics.

 

Workshop: Intravital Microscopy Nanoparticle Dynamics in Real-time

Intravital microscopy (IVM) — the direct visualization of nanoparticle dynamics within live animals — can offer invaluable insights into the mechanisms that drive the delivery, uptake and treatment response for nanotherapeutics. Explore our facility and its capabilities; the contact is Laboratory Manager Enrica De Rosa, PhD, at 713.441.7408.

 

Project: Develop Therapeutic Nanotechnology Cancer Treatments

We are focusing on the study of a coordinated, fundamental subset of all active bio-barriers in cancer in order to design and develop therapeutic nanotechnologies for cancer treatment. We will be using information gained from our three cores and three projects, but we intend to supplement this knowledge through our through our pilot and outreach pilot project programs. These projects are funded for one year; learn more about it from Project Manager Mona Bisase at 713.441.4889.

 

Video Series: Discover the Tools for Nanomedicine

In this video series on nanomedical tools, you can watch Ciro Chiappini, PhD, explain transmission electron microscopy (or read about it in this PDF version) or watch as Anne L. van de Ven, PhD, illuminates real-time Intravital Microscopy for optimization of nanotherapeutics delivery to tumors.

 

Education Opportunities

Discover more educational opportunities for health care professionals at Houston Methodist.

PS-OC Network

 

National Cancer Institute (PSOC) Collaborative Network

Supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Center for Transport Oncophysics (CTO) is one of 12 centers across the United States. Part of a collaborative network, CTO is exploring new and innovative approaches to improve the understanding and control of cancer. The network brings together both teams and individual scientists from the fields of physics, mathematics, chemistry and engineering to examine cancer, using approaches that have not been utilized in cancer research to date.

The NCI's goal is to join these often-disparate areas of science through its various support mechanisms, including centers of excellence, to better understand the physical and chemical forces that shape and govern the emergence and behavior of cancer at all levels. The NCI anticipates that this initiative will foster the development of innovative ideas and new fields of study based on knowledge of the biological and physical laws and principles that define both normal and tumor systems.

 

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Principal Investigator: Paul Davies, PhD

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Principal Investigator: Harold G. Craighead, PhD

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute,
Tampa, FL
Principal Investigator: Robert A. Gatenby, MD
 
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Principal Investigator: Denis Wirtz, PhD

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Principal Investigator: Alexander van Oudenaarden, PhD
 
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Principal Investigator: Franziska Michor, PhD
 
Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 
Principal Investigator: Jonathan Widom, PhD

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Principal Investigator: Robert H. Austin, PhD

The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
Principal Investigator: Peter Kuhn, PhD

University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Principal Investigator: Jan Liphardt, PhD

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Principal Investigator: W. Daniel Hillis, PhD

Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX
Principal Investigator: Mauro Ferrari, PhD

 

PS-OC CTO Team

Under the leadership of Principal Investigator Mauro Ferrari, PhD (Houston Methodist) and Senior Co-Investigator Steven Curley, MD (Baylor College of Medicine), the Center for Transport Oncophysics is a multidisciplinary collaborative program. Research teams from Houston Methodist, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of New Mexico are all part of this collaboration.

Principal Investigator
Mauro Ferrari, PhD, Houston Methodist

Senior Co-Investigator
Steven Curley, MD, Baylor College of Medicine

Investigators


Collaborators
  • Lon Wilson, PhD, Rice University
  • Seok H. (Andy) Yun, PhD, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Vittorio Cristini, PhD, The University of New Mexico 

Administrative Staff 
  • Mona Bisase, MBA 
  • Amy Wright, MBA 
  • Hannah Kim

 

Explore the following:

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