When
Monday, November 24, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
Keating 103 | Zoom link
Hosts: Swarna Ganesh and Kellen Chen
Jindi Sun
Postdoctoral Research Associate III, Song Lab
Biomedical Engineering
University of Arizona
"Modeling the Tumor Microenvironment with a Stiffness-Gradient Granular Gel Network Reveals Variable Drug Resistance via ERK/MAPK Signaling Pathway"
Abstract: Matrix stiffness is a key mechanical property in regulating cancer progression, metastasis and therapeutic response. Solid tumors are typically stiffer than surrounding normal tissues, with their internal stiffness varying heterogeneously. Here we developed a granular gel network with a concentration-controlled stiffness gradient to replicate the heterogeneous mechanical properties of the early-stage tumor microenvironment. By sequentially stacking layers of granular gel with varying concentrations, we created a granular gel network displaying a stiffness gradient in a single sample. This 3D granular gel network effectively supported PC3 cells under both static and perfusion conditions. The perfusion-integrated granular gel network exhibited a stiffness- and dosage-dependent drug response in PC3 cells. PC3 cells predominantly upregulated ERK signaling in response to stiffness in the soft and stiff regions of the gel network yet exhibited varying drug sensitivity to docetaxel (DTX) treatment in regions of intermediate stiffness. These findings suggest that the simple fabrication of a granular gel network could serve as a high-throughput platform for investigating stiffness-dependent therapeutic efficacy in early-stage cancer treatment.
Bio: Jindi obtained her PhD degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wyoming. Her dissertation involves the development of an experimental framework to investigate flow instability in microfluidic devices. She is currently working as a postdoctoral associate with Dr. Song in Biomedical Engineering Department. Her research interests include microfluidics, digital image processing, and object tracking.
Joseph Finkelstein
Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Palliative Medicine
Director, Arizona Telemedicine Program
Director, Transformation Health (T-Health) Institute
Full Member, Cancer Center, University of Arizona
"AI-Powered Digital Health for Disease Prevention and Management"
Abstract: AI-driven digital health combines data from wearables, electronic health records, genomics, and patient-reported outcomes with machine learning and predictive analytics to shift care from reactive treatment to proactive prevention and continuous management. This presentation examines how digital health technologies improve early detection, optimize chronic disease management, and support scalable interventions while addressing safety, equity, and implementation challenges.
Bio: Joseph Finkelstein, MD, PhD, FAMIA, FACMI is a professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Palliative Medicine, Director of Arizona Telemedicine Program, Director of Transformation Health (T-Health) Institute, and a full member of Cancer Center in the University of Arizona. After obtaining an MD and PhD degree in Biomedical Cybernetics, Dr. Finkelstein completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University, where he also obtained a master’s degree in biomedical informatics. Dr. Finkelstein is a board member of the Society for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIME) and the International Society of Virtual Rehabilitation. Dr. Finkelstein’s research focuses on the development, evaluation, and implementation of novel healthcare technologies aimed at facilitating the delivery of precision digital health interventions to improve healthcare outcomes. His research includes (1) AI-driven personalized interactive patient engagement, empowerment, and counseling; (2) informatics-enhanced telehealth and telerehabilitation for guideline-concordant disease management, and care coordination; and (3) machine learning approaches for predictive modeling of individual chronic disease trajectories. He is an author of several patents, books, and over 240 peer-reviewed articles. He serves as Principal Investigator on the NIH-funded clinical trial aimed to assess the comprehensive informatics framework for pulmonary telerehabilitation, DoD-funded clinical trial to evaluate AI-assisted support of patients with metastatic prostate cancer residing in rural areas, and HRSA-funded Southwest Telemedicine Resource Center.