Tumor-Stroma Communication

During my career I have worked with many different cell types in different contexts. I worked with vascular smooth muscle cells in the context of hypertension and atherosclerosis. I have worked on Macrophages in the context of tumor biology. And finally, I have worked on endothelial cells in the context of endothelial dysfunction and tumor biology. I have contributed to describe how tumor cells alter the membrane composition of the macrophages, inducing a dysregulation in the signaling pathways transducing inflammatory signaling, and eventually leading to immune suppression; I have also contributed to show how tumor cells induce endothelial cell senescence, rendering the endothelium more permeable and potentiating metastasis. These two works are the foundation of my line of research, which is focused on how tumor cells and their stroma communicate with each other, and how this interaction can influence tumor development. Although the group will initially focus on pancreatic and ovarian cancer, we believe that some of our discoveries would be important for many other tumors where stroma is a major driver of progression. We will employ different tools to modulate the communication between tumor cells and their stroma in order to identify potential therapeutic targets, and design strategies to regulate them.