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Liposomes, Exosomes, and Virosomes: From Modeling Complex
Membrane Processes to Medical Diagnostics and Drug Delivery
Poster Abstracts
88
47-POS
Board 24
Circulating Microparticles as Intercellular Communication Tools Between Platelets and
Cancer Cells: A Complex Relationship Investigated by an "On Chip" Approach
Sameh OBEID
1
, Benoit Le Roy de Boiseaumarié
1
, Thierry Burnouf
2
, Wilfrid Boireau
1
, Céline
Elie-Caille
1
.
1
FEMTO-ST, Besançon, France,
2
Graduate Institute of Biomedical materials and Tissue
Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
In cancer, the interaction of the abnormal malignant cells with their microenvironment is
essential for tumor development, later progression and the development of metastatic disease.
The tumor microenvironment is a collective term that includes the tumor’s surrounding and
supportive stroma, the different effectors of the immune system, blood platelets, hormones and
other humoral factors. A better understanding of the interplay between the tumor cells and its
microenvironment can provide efficient tools for cancer prevention, screening and risk
assessment protocols. Platelets are key players in hemostasis and thrombosis, and they also have
much broader roles in balancing health and disease. Platelets also interact with inflammatory and
immune cells, mediating between inflammation and thrombosis. Moreover, complex interactions
between tumor cells and circulating platelets play an important role regulating tumor growth,
dissemination and angiogenesis1,2. Platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) also share a
pathological function in this complex interaction. Microparticles (MPs) are small (50 to 1000
nm) plasma membrane remnants shed from cells upon their activation or apoptosis. They are an
important intercellular communication tool and may modify cellular behavior in certain
conditions. MPs load consists of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, including microRNA, which
may be transferred horizontally between cells3. In cancer, oncogenic pathways drive production
of MPs, and also stimulate production of MPs harboring tissue factor (TF) that contributes to
cancer-induced thrombosis4. MPs also correlate with processes related to cell aggressiveness
including tumor growth and metastasis. In this particular MPs-cancer context, we propose to
deeper characterize the MPs subpopulations produced by cancer cells alone and in the presence
of platelets. Our “on chip” strategy, based on Surface Plasmon Resonance and Atomic Force
Microscopy coupling, enables the determination of MPs cell origin and size subpopulations.