Ohio State engineering experts are working across campus to revolutionize cancer care through technological innovation. “We’re not trying to engineer cancer, we’re using engineering processes and principles to better diagnose and cure cancer,” says Matthew Ringel, MD, who, along with Jonathan Song, PhD, is a co-director of the Center for Cancer Engineering – Curing Cancer Through Research in Engineering and Sciences (CCE-CURES) program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). CCE-CURES is a collaborative effort between the OSUCCC – James and several other colleges across Ohio State, including its colleges of engineering and arts and sciences. “We’re taking advantage of the incredible people we have here at Ohio State,” says Ringel, a thyroid cancer specialist who also leads The James Department of Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics. “We have 56 members right now and a core group is moving soon to the new Pelotonia Research Center (where the center will be housed).” Click here to learn more about the Center for Cancer Engineering – Curing Cancer Through Research in Engineering and Sciences program at The Ohio State University. There are numerous connections between cancer science and engineering, including the development of the MRI technology often used for diagnosis. The CCE-CURES areas of focus include imaging technology, cancer tissue structures, the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence to better diagnose patients and nanotechnology for the precise delivery of treatment. Among the innovative efforts underway at CCE-CURES are its metastasis on a chip program, which is led by Aleksandar Skardal, PhD. The program’s researchers place cells on small chips and study how they metastasize and spread throughout the body. “This increases the discovery of the pathways that regulate the metastasis process as well as determining the drugs that may impact this,” Ringel explains. This process will ultimately be utilized for individual patients to better analyze and treat their specific cancer mutations. “It’s a great example of personalized care,” Ringel says. Another program utilizes the latest printing technologies to provide patients with personalized prostheses. “This is led by Dr. Kyle VanKoevering in our head and neck cancer department,” Ringel says. “For example, we can CT scan the jaw of a patient and then bioprint an exact replica of the portion of the jaw removed during surgery. That bioprinted material then goes into the patient, rather than a pre-made product that may not be the exact size.” Click here to learn more about head and neck cancer care at The Ohio State University. CCE-CURES experts are also exploring and implementing advanced artificial intelligence programs to analyze groups of digital pathology images, Ringel says. “We assist our pathologists to help them better see patterns to give better diagnoses and predict outcomes.” Among the big projects at CCE-CURES is the study of tiny tools — microscopic structures created using nanotechnology. “They carry what we call cargo directly to the cancer cells,” Ringel says. “The goal is to better treat the cancer and minimize the side effects.” Click here to learn more about cancer research at the OSUCCC – James.