The metastatic cascade
In order to fully understand cancer, it is also required to unveil the interactions of cancer cells among themselves and with the microenvironment (physical and cellular ) that impinge on cell motility, plasticity, transitional states such as epithelial-mesenchymal and mesenchymal-epithelial transitions ( EMT and MET ), and many other cell behaviors ( intravasation, survival in the blood and lymph stream, extravasation, adaption to peripheral niches, etc.) that cancer cells encounter all throughout the metastatic cascade. All these processes are of paramount importance to understand malignancy, metastasis, stemness, and therapeutic resistance. It is also clinically important, given that metastasis is responsible for more than 90% of cancer-associated deaths. Yet, its understanding and treatment is far from being achieved.
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- Ignacio Casal | Mechanisms of cancer metastasis
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- Berta Casar | Transformation and metastasis
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- Berta L. Sánchez-Laorden | Phenotypic plasticity in melanoma
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- Daniel Lietha | Cell signalling and adhesion
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- Mario Mellado | Chemokine receptors: new targets for therapeutic intervention
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- Angela Nieto | Cell plasticity in development and disease
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- Francisco Javier Oliver Pozo | Tumor biology: Molecular mechanisms in response to DNA damage
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- Miguel Vicente-Manzanares | Biophysics of cancer and the immune response
MECHANISMS OF CANCER METASTASIS
IGNACIO CASAL – Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas
Our group has consolidated a solid experience in the identification and characterization of novel colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis mediators and the role of the tumor microenvironment in cancer progression. We have thoroughly characterized the functionality of many of these proteins using a multidisciplinary approach. Current lines of research include: 1) characterization of novel metastatic effectors, 2) epithelial plasticity, stemness and drug resistance and 3) metabolic reprogramming.
TRANSFORMATION AND METASTASIS
BERTA CASAR – Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria
The Transformation and Metastasis group at IBBTEC investigates the signaling pathways involved in abnormalities during cancer and metastasis. The ultimate goal of these studies is to identify new modulators that can represent new therapeutic targets to stop metastasis and that can be directly translated into effective prevention or treatment strategies. The group has a multidisciplinary focus and works with chick embryo and mice models, organoids and 3D cultures, clinical samples and molecular and cellular biology techniques patient-derived xenografts, to translate basic research into relevant clinical results.
PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY IN MELANOMA
BERTA L. SÁNCHEZ-LAORDEN – Instituto de Neurociencias (CSIC-UMH)
Our lab is interested in understanding mechanisms regulating phenotypic plasticity in melanoma that underly its high aggressiveness. Our research focuses on (i) investigating the contribution of the reactivation of developmental programs to melanoma progression and (ii) elucidating microenvironmental players regulating melanoma plasticity at the metastatic niches, particularly the brain.
CELL SIGNALLING AND ADHESION
DANIEL LIETHA – Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas
We study the structure and mechanisms of how signalling and structural elements interact in integrin associated adhesion complexes (Focal Adhesions), a complex at the centre of mesenchymal cell migration and cancer invasion.
CHEMOKINE RECEPTORS: NEW TARGETS FOR THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION
MARIO MELLADO – Centro Nacional de Biotecnología
Our group is interested in cell migration, in particular in the signaling events triggered by chemokines. Using powerful bioimaging technologies, such as super-resolution microscopy and single particle tracking and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM), we evaluate the receptor organization and dynamics at the cell membrane as well as the ligand-mediated signaling cascade in living cells. We also screen small compounds to interfere or modulate chemokine responses.
CELL PLASTICITY IN DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE
ANGELA NIETO – Instituto de Neurociencias (CSIC-UMH)
Even though great progress has been made in the last few decades in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, metastases are still refractory to therapy and responsible for over 90% of cancer-associated deaths. After more than 20 years working on how cells escape from the primary tumor after acquiring motility and invasive properties, we still do not know how this motility program is repressed in distant organs, for cancer cells to colonize and form metastases. We now focus on identifying the cell trajectories in tumours and the signals that promote colonization in distant organs, to test them as targets in the design of improved antimetastatic therapies.
TUMOR BIOLOGY: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS IN RESPONSE TO DNA DAMAGE
FRANCISCO JAVIER OLIVER POZO – Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina “López – Neyra” (IPBLN-CSIC)
We have been investigating the role of PARP and PARylation in tumor biology for many years. We are currently interested in the role of PARylation in vasculogenic mimicry and HIF-mediated adaptation of tumor to hypoxia.
BIOPHYSICS OF CANCER AND THE IMMUNE RESPONSE
MIGUEL VICENTE-MANZANARES – Centro de Investigación del Cáncer
Mechanics of tumor metastasis and the antitumor immune response