Signal Transduction and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Breast Cell Plasticity and Canc...
Breast cancer is diagnosed in ~1.4 million women worldwide and ~500,000 lives are lost to the disease annually. Patients may do well after surgery and initial treatment, but drug resistant and fatal metastases often develop. Impro...
Breast cancer is diagnosed in ~1.4 million women worldwide and ~500,000 lives are lost to the disease annually. Patients may do well after surgery and initial treatment, but drug resistant and fatal metastases often develop. Improved treatment options are urgently needed. The connecting thread of this project is the identification of epigenetic drivers of breast cell fate, tumor heterogeneity and metastasis.
Tumor heterogeneity impinges on prognosis, response to therapy, and metastasis and is one of the most important and clinically relevant areas of cancer research. Tumor heterogeneity results from genetic and epigenetic alterations that enhance the plasticity and fitness of cancer cells in the face of hurdles like the metastatic cascade and anti-cancer therapies. Unfortunately, the driving molecular mechanisms remain unclear, particularly the potential interplay between signalling pathways and epigenetic programs.
This interdisciplinary project uses pathophysiologically relevant models and state-of-the-art technologies to identify molecular mechanisms underlying crosstalk between key signalling pathways and epigenetic programs in the normal and neoplastic breast. We hypothesize that interfering with these programs will decrease tumor heterogeneity.
We will address the effects of:
- SHP2/ERK signalling on the epigenetic programs of tumor-initiating cells (Aim 1)
- PI3K pathway hyperactivation on the epigenetic programs underpinning cell plasticity (Aim 2)
- Epigenetic regulators on normal mammary cell self-renewal and on metastasis (Aim 3)
By investigating the integrated effects of key signalling pathways and epigenetic programs in normal and neoplastic breast, this multipronged project will identify and validate mechanisms of cell plasticity. The derived mechanistic understanding will generate means to interfere with tumor heterogeneity and thus improve the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies and ultimately the clinical outcome for patients with breast cancer.ver más
Seleccionando "Aceptar todas las cookies" acepta el uso de cookies para ayudarnos a brindarle una mejor experiencia de usuario y para analizar el uso del sitio web. Al hacer clic en "Ajustar tus preferencias" puede elegir qué cookies permitir. Solo las cookies esenciales son necesarias para el correcto funcionamiento de nuestro sitio web y no se pueden rechazar.
Cookie settings
Nuestro sitio web almacena cuatro tipos de cookies. En cualquier momento puede elegir qué cookies acepta y cuáles rechaza. Puede obtener más información sobre qué son las cookies y qué tipos de cookies almacenamos en nuestra Política de cookies.
Son necesarias por razones técnicas. Sin ellas, este sitio web podría no funcionar correctamente.
Son necesarias para una funcionalidad específica en el sitio web. Sin ellos, algunas características pueden estar deshabilitadas.
Nos permite analizar el uso del sitio web y mejorar la experiencia del visitante.
Nos permite personalizar su experiencia y enviarle contenido y ofertas relevantes, en este sitio web y en otros sitios web.