breast tumor cells

Researchers from Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes revealed the anticancer activity of PvD₁, a plant defensin isolated from the common bean, on breast tumor cells and the ability of this defensin in hampering tumor cells’ adhesion to the blood-brain barrier cells. For this study, scientists combined spectroscopic techniques with atomic force microscopy (AFM) for evaluating the biomechanical changes that cells suffer upon PvD₁ contact.

Authors and affiliations:
Nuno Bernardes1,2, Ana Sofia Ribeiro2, Sofia Abreu1, André F Vieira2, Laura Carreto3, Manuel Santos3, Raquel Seruca2, Joana Paredes2 and Arsenio M Fialho1 1Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Center for Biological and Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal;

2Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal;