Microenvironmental conditions are critically important in tumor induction and progression, and mediate the establishment of metastases at preferential target sites. Dr. Fischbach-Teschl is exploring diversified tissue-engineered model systems and polymeric growth factor delivery strategies. The lab's research aims at elucidating microenvironmental events that currently impair the prognosis of cancer patients towards development of new drug delivery systems for more effective treatment of cancer. This work involves gaining a better understanding of the role of microenvironmental conditions in the malignant transformation of adult stem cells as well as in the modulation of normal stroma derived progenitors towards a cell type that supports tumor malignancy.
Fischbach, C., Chen, R., Matsumoto, T., Schmelzle, T., Brugge, J.S., Polverini, P.J., Mooney, D.J. (2007) Engineering tumors with 3D scaffolds. Nat Methods, 2007 (10) 855-60.
Neubauer, M., Hacker, M., Bauer-Kreisel, P., Weiser, B., Fischbach, C., Schulz, M.B., Goepferich, A., Blunk, T. (2005) Adipose Tissue Engineering Based on Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in Vitro. Tissue Eng. 2005 (11) 11-12 1840-1851.
Fischbach, C., Spruss, T., Weiser, B., Neubauer, M., Becker, C., Hacker, M., Goepferich, A., and Blunk, T. Generation of mature fat pads in vitro and in vivo utilizing 3-D long-term culture of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Exp Cell Res 2004 (300) 54-64.