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Brave Bears was a Barrett creative project that operated under local non-profit organizations, Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels and Arizona Women’s Recovery Center. Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels provides support and education for children fighting cancer and their families. Arizona Women’s Recovery Center provides rehabilitation programs for women fighting substance abuse and housing for the women and their children. The Brave Bears Project was focused on helping children in these situations cope with the trauma they are experiencing. The children received a teddy bear, which is a transitional object. In addition, a clay pendant with the word, “brave” pressed into it was tied around the bear’s neck with a ribbon. A poem of explanation and encouragement was also included.<br/><br/>The teddy bear provided comfort to children experiencing emotionally distressing situations as they receive treatment for their illness or as their mom undergoes rehabilitation. This can be in the form of holding the teddy bear when they feel frightened, anxious, lonely or depressed. The “brave” pendant and poem seek to encourage them and acknowledge their trauma and ability to persevere.
A high density 3D tumor model was utilized to recapitulate the tumor microenvironment of ductal carcinoma in vitro. The tumor model consisted of MDA-MB-231 tumors seeded within micromolded collagen wells, chemically immobilized upon a surface treated PDMS substrate. CAFs were seeded within the greater collagen structure from which the microwells were formed. The combinatorial effect of anti-fibrotic drug (Tranilast) and chemotherapy drug (Doxorubicin) were studied within 3D co culture conditions. Specifically, the combinatorial effects of the drugs on tumor cell viability, proliferation, and invasion were examined dynamically upon coculture with CAFs using the microengineered model.
The results of the study showed that the combinatorial effects of Tranilast and Doxorubicin significantly decreased the proliferative ability of tumor cells, in addition to significantly decreasing the ability of tumor cells to remain viable and invade their surrounding stroma, compared to control conditions.