Research Projects

NEAT1, a long non-coding RNA, is implicated in multiple cancers due to abnormally high expressions. The cellular microenvironment, including tissue stiffness, plays a significant role in transcription and translation. NEAT1's mechano-responsive role in osteoblasts involves changes in lncRNA expression, contributing to osteoblast function and paraspeckle formation. However, further exploration of NEAT1's mechano-sensitive action in cancers is lacking. The study proposes that NEAT1 expression and downstream phenotypes in cancer cells will differ between tissue culture plastic (TCP) and more physiologically-relevant conditions, such as tissue-specific stiffness gels. This could pave the way for novel drug screening and personalized medicine. The physiologically-relevant model, where the disease condition is better represented with elevated NEAT1 expression, could be used to investigate NEAT1 downregulation as a potential cancer treatment.