OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
The dynamics of integrin adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is critical for cell motility and growth, yet metastatic cells are capable of anchorage-independent survival with loss of adhesion from the primary tumor and subsequent adhesion in the microenvironment of the metastatic niche. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a clear
understanding of the detailed mechanisms that govern the nucleation, clustering and adhesion of integrins to the ECM in the presence of the myriad of cell-surface glycoproteins that extend into the extracellular space. In order to explore how interactions between integrins and glycans alter clustering and adhesion, we have adopted a three-pronged approach that includes: (1) modeling the energetic landscape that governs membrane bending and integrin adhesion; (2) tracking bioorthogonally tagged cell-surface glycans with single-molecule sensitivity and (3) measuring membrane topography using phase-shifted laser feedback interference microscopy.