Translational Molecular Pathology : VHIR Annual Report 2020

Oncology

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Overview

In 2020, the Area has been composed by eight groups addressing main unsolved issues in cancer, covering the fields of child and adolescent cancer, melanoma, gynecology, urology, cancer stem cells and molecular mechanisms of the tumor pathologies, as well nanomedicine. We work in close collaboration with the corresponding departments at the Hospital. This provides a unique opportunity to tackle the abovementioned pathologies during the entire course of the disease, from diagnosis (a focus and strength of our Area) to personalized treatment (gathering important international impact during 2020 in the field of child cancer). Our research in 2020 has been relevant also in the field of the use of nanotechnology in biomedical applications to improve therapeutic strategies and diagnostics. Despite, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Area has kept active at virtual shared activities and ONCO-VHIR seminars and the organization of the World Cancer Day event to get closer to the society. During 2020 in-Campus collaborations with VHIO have been strengthen and internalization of our research has been amplified. It is also noteworthy the shared scientific production in terms of publications between different groups of the Area and the stable collaborations between groups that have consolidated during these period.

Publications

174
total
926
impact factor
5.32
average impact factor

Group Leader: Santiago Ramon y Cajal Agüeras

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Research Areas

In 2020 our work focused on tumor heterogeneity and intercellular communication in the tumor environment. We published ground-breaking work on the role of ITGB3 in cell-cell communication via extracellular vesicles in the context of breast cancer metastasis. We are currently screening for inhibitors of ITGB3 to translate these findings to the clinic. Based on our previous work of p-eIF4E as prognostic marker independent of tumor heterogeneity, we have obtained the international patent for EB1 – the first in class allosteric inhibitor of the eIF4E phosphorylating kinases MNK1/2. We are currently exploring the clinical application in different cancers. We also reported on a role of the gap junction protein connexin 43 in the formation tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), creating an intercellular syncytium that regulates malignancy and therapy-resistance. We are currently exploring novel pathways that regulate connexin- and TNT-mediated heterocellular cell-cell communication networks.

 

VHIR Annual Report 2020

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