coNtechtual bioengineering

The Fraley lab seeks to advance understanding of how normal and cancerous cells migrate, with the goal of developing new treatment strategies that target migratory behaviors. We approach this goal by engineering physiologically relevant 3D tissue contexts "in a dish" and developing new tools and techniques to measure the physical and molecular processes cells use to move through such environments. These studies have recently led to the identification of new mechanisms governing migration during acini and duct formation, an understanding of how cells sense the degradability of their microenvironment, and a new class of small molecules that target migratory cancer stem cells.

Another major thrust of research in the Fraley lab focuses on improving diagnostics, particularly in the area of infectious diseases. It is estimated that infectious diseases are responsible for 20% of the global cancer burden, many of which are treatable if detected. Infectious diseases also cause significant morbidity and mortality in oncology patients, where immunosuppression can facilitate invasive infection by common pathogens or rare opportunistic pathogens that may not be detectable with standard diagnostic tests. Invasive infections enter the bloodstream and can lead to sepsis, where hourly increases in mortality risk demand rapid and accurate diagnosis. We have innovated in the molecular diagnostics space to develop faster, less expensive, more sensitive technologies, which have recently been applied to improve the detection of bloodstream and lung infections.

Read more about our research here.