Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2019
Capstone Advisor
Thomas Fondy
Honors Reader
Michael Sponsler
Capstone Major
Biology
Capstone College
Arts and Science
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Sciences and Engineering
Subject Categories
Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology | Cancer Biology | Life Sciences
Abstract
Research in the Fondy laboratory at Syracuse University has shown that in free-moving cancer cell lines, such as leukemia and lymphoma, larger cells are preferentially targeted by ultrasound therapy and have reduced viability as a result. Little time with respect to ultrasound, however, has been dedicated to the study of cell lines such as colorectal carcinoma and glioblastoma, which require connective tissue to grow.
Our research involves the low-frequency ultrasound treatment of attached carcinoma cell lines with adjuvant chemotherapy to evaluate an effective regimen for reducing viability of cancer cells. Prior research with human glioblastoma has shown that cells attached to a polystyrene plate are readily detached from their connective surface if provided with enough cavitation power from sonication. We plated, sonicated, and determined cell viability and number of RKO (human colorectal cancer) and hLN18 (human glioblastoma) in the 20kHz frequency range to evaluate effectiveness of sonodynamic therapy. These procedures were augmented by treatment with cytoskeleton-directed agent cytochalasin B (CB) either several days prior to or immediately following treatment to determine if sonication improves the chemotherapeutic properties of CB and vice versa. We additionally compared the sonication of RKO to cell detachment with trypsin, the latter of which is a technique commonly used in passaging attached cell lines, to determine if a statistically significant difference between the techniques implies a usefulness for sonodynamic treatment.
Early results imply that ultrasound significantly reduces cell viability when concentrated over a small region of cells. While the risk of metastasis is not known, we have assayed for apoptosis in sonicated cells to determine the proportion of cells at risk for metastasis. Trypsin treatment is near statistically significantly different for reducing viability compared to sonication with a relatively small sample size.
Recommended Citation
Schauer, Charles, "Determining Therapeutic Efficacy of Low-frequency Ultrasound in Targeting In-Vitro Human Attached Cell Lines with Adjuvant Chemotherapy" (2019). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 1336.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/1336
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
