Patologia Molecular Translacional

Nuestro grupo pretende elucidar los mecanismos moleculares implicados en la progresión tumoral hasta sus metástasis con el fin de identificar nuevos marcadores diagnósticos, pronósticos así como nuevas dianas terapéuticas. Gracias al profundo conocimiento en las bases moleculares tumorales del grupo de investigación, así como la disponibilidad de muestras tumorales humanas, desarrollamos diferentes líneas de investigación centradas en:

Conocer los mecanismos moleculares que subyacen de la cooperación clonal así como la comunicación intercelular implicadas en la heterogeneidad tumoral.
Describir el papel de las MNKs en el desarrollo de resistencias frente al estrés celular.
Ahondar en el papel de ITGB3 en la comunicación intercelular mediada por vesículas extracelulares en modelos de metástasis (Santiago Ramón y Cajal).
Estudiar de las comunicaciones célula-célula mediante uniones intercelulares comunicantes (gap junctions) y/o protrusiones celulares en cáncer (Trond Aasen).
Estudiar de la transformación oncogénica de los Neurofibromas plexiformes (Cleofe Romagosa).

Líneas de investigación

Study of gene expression of senescence in human tumors

The expression of mARN genes identified by Dr.R. Bernards has been studied in normal and tumor tissue of cancer patients. This study identifies for the first time, RSK4 and KIAA0828 genes as genes whose role may be relevant in cancer. The expression of these genes is being studied in protein by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Also are characterizing the biochemical pathways where these genes may be involved.

IP: Santiago Ramon y Cajal Agüeras

Study of new genes involved in proliferation

Searching for new proliferative genes/tumor suppressor genes is being performed at our laboratory by carring out genetic screens. By the use of retroviral vectors as carriers of a cDNA libraries (formed by mRNA from murine embryonic stem cells), primary cells are infected and screening for those clones able to bypass senescence are selected for further characterization. The marked morphological heterogeneity observed in several tumorigenic process, support the hypothesis that several cancers have their origin in a stem cell. It is believed that genes expressed by embryonic stem cells, may play an important role in the tumorigenic mechanism.This project unravels the effect of immortal genes existing in embryonic stem cells, when are forced to be expressed in primary and thereby mortal cells. These immortal genes are future candidate markers in tumors with potential prognosis value. The novel genes discovered, are being analyzed in the biopsies from patients with different kinds of tumors collected at the Pathology Department of the Vall d´Hebrón Hospital.

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin

Study of PTOV1 modulation in tumor proliferation and progression : Interaction with IGF1 pathways. Notch and Wnt expression in TMAs of tumors.

To evaluate the expression (nuclear and cytoplasmatic) of PTOV1 , Notch and Wnt on TMAs in c different histological types of carcinomas with low and high grades of malignancy . To correlate the inmunoexpression with classical parameters of tumor behaviour : tumoral size, grade of malignancy, vascular permeation, lymph nodes metastasis in each histological subtype and demonstrated the role of PTOV1 as predictive molecular marker in carcinomas.

(Research Biomedical Unit)

IP: Inés de Torres Ramirez