When
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.
Kailie Szewczyk
PhD Candidate
Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering
University of Arizona
"Modeling a Human Prostate Gland using Microphysiological Systems with Smooth Muscle Cells and/or Fibroblasts as Stroma"
AME S212 | Zoom link
Abstract: Abstract: According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men in the US, and understanding prostate cancer progression requires physiologically relevant models which capture complex epithelial-stromal interactions. In this work, microfluidic co-cultures of epithelial cells with stromal smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and/or fibroblasts were used to establish prostate microphysiological systems (MPSs) as models of the human prostate gland. These non-animal MPSs enable in vitro studies of the epithelial-stromal cross interactions under normal and cancerous prostate conditions in vivo. Immunofluorescent staining and gene expression analyses were utilized to investigate androgen-dependent stromal effects on basal-to-luminal epithelial differentiation as well as the effects of cancerous epithelium on the stroma. In the normal prostate MPS, stromal androgen treatment and SMC differentiation medium generally increased expression of androgen receptor (AR) and calponin, respectively. Stromal androgen treatment also increased expression of luminal epithelial markers such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA), indicating epithelial differentiation in co-culture with SMCs. Mixtures of fibroblasts and SMCs also showed increases in androgen-related genes in both stromal and epithelial cells as a result of stromal androgen treatment, with minimal effect of the stromal plating orientation. In the prostate cancer MPS, co-culture of both stromal cell types with cancerous epithelial cells generally resulted in decreased expression of associated biomarkers such αSMA in SMCs but increased αSMA expression in fibroblasts, consistent with in vivo observations. Furthermore, given its current role in prostate cancer detection, the resulting impact on the concentration of PSA was explored. A numerical model was constructed using ANSYS Fluent to assist in analyzing PSA kinetics within the prostate MPS, where a source boundary condition was imposed in a secreting cell zone, and the resulting PSA concentration due to flow convection and molecular diffusion was computed. Together, an integrated experimental and computational approach allows for the investigation of complex epithelial-stromal interactions and the characterization of transport phenomena relevant to biomarker detection.
Bio: Kailie Szewczyk is a PhD Candidate in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department studying applications of microfluidics and numerical modeling for prostate cancer research. In collaboration with the University of Arizona Cellular and Molecular Medicine Department through the NCI Tissue Engineering Collaborative, her dissertation work primarily aims to characterize new models of normal and cancerous prostate conditions using microfluidic technology and numerical simulations. She received her BS in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona as a Baird Scholar in 2021. While attending the University of Arizona, she has been an active member of Engineering Ambassadors, AIAA and Mortar Board. Additionally, she was a NASA/Arizona Space Grant Intern, Summer Engineering Academy camp counselor and AME Graduate Studies Committee student representative.