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Dr. de la Puente has been researching novel tissue engineered culture models for regenerative medicine and mimicking the tumor microenvironment for over 10 years. She holds a PhD in Animal Medicine and Surgery focusing on biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Dr. De la Puente is interested on the role of tumor microenvironment (TME) in cancer progression, drug resistance and cancer immunology.
The De la Puente lab is focused on the role of tumor microenvironment (TME) in cancer progression, drug resistance and cancer immunology. The TME is highly complex including stromal, immune, and endothelial cells, signaling molecules, oxygen tension, and the extracellular matrix. Classical two-dimensional (2D) cultures fail to provide an adequate model for the complexities of human tumors. Our lab is developing personalized 3D models of the tumor microenvironment in order to more accurately mimic cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Our lab currently focuses on developing three dimensional models of solid tumors for personalized medicine. Through these culture models, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the role of the tumor microenvironment and their accessory cells during cancer progression, drug resistance and cancer immunology for each individual patient.