Projects
Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Immunotherapy, Tumor microenvironment, Patient selection, Cancer Associated Fibroblasts, Preclinical Models Ghent University
Triple
-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents 15–20% of all breast cancers (BC) and has the worst outcome of all BC subtypes. Although anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) combined with chemotherapy can improve the outcome only for some patients, clinical benefits remain modest and restricted to a subset of patients. Consequently, there is an important need to define biomarkers that more effectively identify patients who ...
Identifying and targeting the support of never healing wounds, cancer associated fibroblasts in liver tumors Vrije Universiteit Brussel
environment in which primary liver tumors develop. Furthermore, the
liver is an important site for metastasis of other tumors such as colon,
breast, lung and melanoma cancer. In both cases, patients have a
poor prognosis and liver cancer is associated with high mortality.
Most anti- liver cancer treatments focus on the rapidly dividing and ...
Cancer Associated Fibroblasts (CAF) Function in Tumor Expansion and Invasion Ghent University
Aim of the CAFFEIN network is to provide 10 early stage researchers (ESRs) and 2 experienced researchers (ERs) with excellent training in an industry relevant area of cancer research, complementary skills required for pharmaceutical industry, and knowledge in setting up biomedical start-up companies. To this end, the network comprises a full industrial partners, the established pharmaceutical company medimmune, a global leader in ...
Beurs Joke Tommelein: Radiotherapy-induced damage to cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes colorectal cancer progression through IGF-1/AKT signaling Ghent University
Each year, cancer of the rectum (or rectum) fixed at about 1500 Flemings. A large number of these patients is treated with chemoradiotherapy (irradiation in combination with chemotherapy) before the tumor is surgically removed. This treatment increases the life expectancy through improved local control. Patients with a fibrotic reaction, however, have a poorer chance of survival than patients with a fibro-inflammatory response. Fibrosis is ...
Optimization of an innovative approach to eliminate CD70-positive cancer-associated fibroblasts to improve first-line chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer. University of Antwerp
Targeting CD70-positive cancer-associated fibroblasts to improve chemotherapy and alleviate the immuno-suppressive tumor microenvironment in advanced colorectal cancer. University of Antwerp
The P5 Type ATPase Atp13A2, a Parkinson associated gene, coordinates key trafficking mechanisms involved in the maintenance of cancer cell proteostasis KU Leuven
ATP13A2 (also called PARK9), is a transmembrane endo-/lysosomal-associated P5-type transport ATPase. Loss-of-function mutations in ATP13A2 result in the Kufor-Rakeb Syndrome (KRS), a form of autosomal Parkinson’s disease (PD). In spite of a growing interest in ATP13A2, very little is known about its physiological role in stressed cells. Recent studies suggest that the N terminal domain of ATP13A2 may hold key regulatory functions, but their ...
Multicenter validation trial of [18F]AlF-FAPI-74 for PET imaging of cancer-associated fibroblasts through fibroblast activation protein inhibitors (FAPI) in digestive tumors KU Leuven
This project will study in the diagnostic accuracy of a novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracer ([18F]AlF-FAPI74) targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in a prospective, non-randomized, multicenter, multi-cohort, interventional phase II/III trial. FAP is a promising emerging molecular target, expressed on cancer-associated fibroblasts and is independent of cancer cell characteristics such as tumoral glycolytic phenotype and ...
The peritoneal microenvironment in the pathogenesis of colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis: the role of MMT and cancer-associated fibroblasts Ghent University
Nearly ten percent of patients with colorectal cancer will develop spread of the cancer to the membrane lining their abdomen, called the peritoneum. The cells which make up this peritoneum, mesothelial cells, have been shown to be able to influence cancer progression. Cancer cells can communicate with many types of cells, and influence healthy cells to help cancer cells grow. This leads to the presence of several types of normally healthy ...