Marie Floryan

Marie Floryan is a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering whose research is focused on designing microfluidic platforms to model human organ function. As a MathWorks Fellow, Marie will study the effect of fluid shear stress on tumor cell survival through the various stages of metastasis. She has designed a microphysiological system (MPS) that recapitulates the physical environment of tumor cells in vivo. In her previous work, Marie made significant contributions to the development of a novel microfluidic pump that provides recirculating flow through engineered tissues, which she used to study the role of luminal flow in the long-term culture of self-assembled microvascular networks. She is now using her vascularized system to study the cellular dynamics of metastasis; her experiments are coupled with an in vivo collaborator, creating the opportunity to compare the two and advance MPS as a companion to, and potential replacement for, preclinical animal models. MathWorks products are an essential resource for these projects. Marie’s work could ultimately help to explain why cancers tend to metastasize to specific organs, identify novel therapeutic targets, and advance microfluidics research.