The pursuit of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitors began in earnest over three
decades ago. Initial clinical trials were disappointing, resulting in a negative view of MMPs …

Over the last decade, significant progress has been made in the field of drug delivery. The
advent of engineered nanoparticles has allowed us to circumvent the initial limitations to …

We have reconstituted a matrix of basement membrane onto a filter in a Boyden chamber
and assessed the ability of various malignant and nonmalignant cells to penetrate through …

Cells migrating on flat two-dimensional (2D) surfaces use actin polymerization to extend the
leading edge of the plasma membrane during lamellipodia-based migration. This mode of …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of plasminogen activators in various
biological processes. In specific, it describes two types of plasminogen activators—namely …

Elastin is an important protein of the extracellular matrix of higher vertebrates, which confers
elasticity and resilience to various tissues and organs including lungs, skin, large blood …

The study of tumor biology has, in recent years, focused on the abnormal regulation of
growth control an neoplastic cells and on the genes that control tumor cell proliferation …

Tumor cells traverse basement membranes (BM) during the stages of the metastatic
process. Penetration of the BM may involve proteolysis by enzymes directly or indirectly …

✓ The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the naturally occurring substrate upon which cells
migrate, proliferate, and differentiate. The ECM functions as a biological adhesive that …

Fibronectin plays a major role in the adhesion of many cell types. The extent of cell adhesion
in vitro is related not only to the ability of the cells to interact with matrix-bound fibronectin …