Research Goals
Our goal is to decrypt the behavior of neoplastic cells as they spread in the body to form metastases by applying cell biology approaches to the study of live tumour specimens. Favoring interactions between clinicians and scientists, the Gustave Roussy Institute provides a vibrant environment to develop these translational cell biology approaches. Together with the multidisciplinary committee of clinicians specialized in cancers of the gastro-intestinal track led by David Malka, we investigate the metastatic dissemination of digestive cancers, with a focus on collective behaviors.
Tumor dissemination is a crucial step in cancer progression and the major challenge in cancer patient treatment. Invasion, the locomotion of tumor cells into tissues, is the first and last step in the metastatic cascade: The first step, when the carcinoma crosses the basal lamina to enter the peri-tumoral microenvironment, and the last step, after translocation to distant organ, when the tumor cells penetrate into tissues at secondary site.
The research goals of our team are both conceptual and practical, we want to:
- Determine the respective contribution of collective vs single cells in Colorectal carcinoma dissemination toward the peritoneal cavity.
- Decipher the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving collective dissemination
- Identify new prognostic factors and predictive biomarkers to improve clinical decisions and treatment of Colorectal carcinoma patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (numerous metastatic nodules nested into the peritoneum).
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