Ep. 320: “Cancer Under Pressure” Featuring Dr. Meenal Datta

About this episode

Dr. Meenal Datta discusses the impact of mechanical forces within tumors on cancer progression and immune responses.

Guest: Dr. Meenal Datta is an Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame and leader of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment Mechanics (TIME) Lab. She discusses how mechanical forces within tumors shape cancer progression and immune responses, with a focus on glioblastoma. She highlights how immunomechanics and mechanobiology influence tumor growth, treatment resistance, and immune cell function, and explores how space-based research and microgravity models can uncover new insights and therapeutic strategies for cancer. Featured Products and Resources: Join us at ISSCR 2026 and be part of the global conversation shaping the future of stem cell research. Strengthen reproducibility of hPSCs with this free, on-demand training course offered by STEMCELL Technologies and the ISSCR. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Why the Heart Resists Cancer – Researchers have discovered that mechanical load in the heart suppresses cancer cell proliferation via mechanotransduction and chromatin remodeling. HOTSCRAMBL Shapes Stem Cell Fate – A genetic variant disrupts the lncRNA HOTSCRAMBL , reducing HSC self-renewal and impairing leukemia growth. AI-Driven Drug Repurposing – Deep learning and…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Meenal Datta

Topics covered

• cancer progression
• immune responses
• glioblastoma
• mechanobiology
• space-based research
• microgravity models
• therapeutic strategies

Keywords

• cancer
• mechanical forces
• tumor growth
• treatment resistance
• immunomechanics
• microgravity
• therapeutic strategies
• glioblastoma

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Notre Dame, Tumor Immune Microenvironment Mechanics (TIME) Lab, STEMCELL Technologies, ISSCR

More episodes of The Stem Cell Podcast

• Ep. 322: “Healing Hearts with Macrophages” Featuring Dr. Filipa Simões · June 9, 2026 · 1h 22m
• Ep. 321: “Decoding Blood Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Vijay Sankaran · May 26, 2026 · 1h 14m
• Ep. 319: “Building Better iPSCs” Featuring Dr. Andrew Gaffney · April 28, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Ep. 318: “Modeling Reproduction and Endocrinology” Featuring Dr. Kotaro Sasaki · April 14, 2026 · 1h 34m
• Ep. 317: “Engineering the Human Heart” Featuring Dr. Aitor Aguirre · March 31, 2026 · 1h 21m
• Ep. 316: “Primate Embryogenesis” Featuring Dr. Thorsten Boroviak · March 17, 2026 · 1h 25m