# Soluble and mechanical factors directing mesothelial cell migration in clearance during ovarian cancer metastasis

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2020 · $162,821

## Abstract

Patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) are commonly diagnosed after extensive metastasis
has occurred, resulting in a poor prognosis. In HGSOC, metastasis occurs primarily by transcoelomic spread,
where tumor cells detach from the primary tumor, float through the peritoneal fluid, and attach to the
mesothelial layer lining the peritoneal cavity to form new metastases. During this process, mesothelial cells
clear away from the tumor cells through collective migration, causing a gap to form in the mesothelial layer.
However, it is unknown what factors regulate mesothelial cell clearance, which prohibits the development of
therapies to slow or stop this stage of metastasis. As collective migration ultimately results from forces, we
expect that studying the balance of forces within the cell layer will identify mechanical factors that regulate
clearance. Additionally, the onset of transcoelomic spread correlates with the accumulation of ascites fluid,
which includes a complex mixture of soluble factors that are known to impact the magnitude of forces.
Therefore, we hypothesize that ascites fluid accelerates mesothelial clearance by altering the mechanics of the
mesothelial cell monolayer to support faster collective migration away from the tumor cells. We will address
this hypothesis with the following aims, which each integrate experimental approaches and computational
modeling:
Specific Aim 1: Identify soluble factors in ascites fluid that support mesothelial clearance.
Specific Aim 2: Determine how mesothelial clearance depends on the balance of cell-cell tension and cell-
substrate traction in the mesothelial layer.
Completion of the proposed studies will result in an improved understanding of the mechanical process of
mesothelial cell clearance and the identification of potential therapeutic targets to slow or stop metastasis in
HGSOC.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9837422
- **Project number:** 5R21CA227922-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Pamela K Kreeger
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $162,821
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9837422

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9837422, Soluble and mechanical factors directing mesothelial cell migration in clearance during ovarian cancer metastasis (5R21CA227922-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9837422. Licensed CC0.

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