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Biology<br />
<strong>Cancer</strong> is a disease ethat that t is chara characterized aracterized by unc uncontrolled ncont ontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. TransTranssformation of a nor nnormal mal al ce cell<br />
ll int in into o a cancer cell is a com comple complex p x multistep process in which whic hich hcell cells ce<br />
s acquire ire<br />
capabilities to t to divid divide vide e iinde<br />
indefi nd fi nitely nnitely<br />
independently indepe epende nd ntly of growth gro rowth signals, sig signal nals, s, evade programmed pro rogra gramme med d cell ccell<br />
ell death, de d ath ath,<br />
invade neighbouring neighbou ourin ring g tissues ues and metastasise meta tastasise to other parts part arts of the body. bod body. y. During Dur During ing this transformation<br />
transformati ation on o<br />
numerous changes cha hang nges s occur ooccu<br />
ccur r at the molecular, biochemica<br />
biochemical ical l aand<br />
and cel cellul cellular lular ar level. lev le el. All cancers canc n ers arise due e to tto<br />
accumulation accumu m lation on oof<br />
of genet genetic netic ic and epige epigenetic g netic changes. Som So Some e mmuta<br />
mutations utatio ti t ns may be<br />
present<br />
t in the germl germline mlin ine<br />
thus s iincreas<br />
increasing asing ing the e rrisk<br />
risk of cance ca cancer ncer r ddevelopment,<br />
evelopment, but b but many<br />
ny occ ooccur ur during the individual’s life in n tthe<br />
the h<br />
somatic som so ati a c cell cells. ells. s. The There here re are many mma<br />
many aet aaetiological iological factors<br />
s involved<br />
d in<br />
n cancer, including includi d ng infection, infection o , exposure e to tto<br />
o<br />
chemicals che chemic m als an and othe other the ther r eenv<br />
environmental nvi nviron ron ronmen me m tal risk ri risk s factors and<br />
nd heredity.<br />
y. y Th TThe e past years hha have ve witnessed a dramat dramatic matic ic<br />
progress pro progre gre gr ss in understanding und u ers ersta tandin din ing g the tthe<br />
he mechanisms mec e han h isms of transformation tran r sformation of a normal cell into a cancer cell cel cell l that tthat<br />
h<br />
is s exp expec expected ect e ed to lea lead<br />
d tto<br />
to o mmajo<br />
major ajor impr improvements mprove vemen men m ts in the therap therapy. ra y. Yet Y Yet, , our<br />
ur kno kn knowledge wle wledge d is still far r ffrom<br />
from r compl complete mplete e<br />
and and much mmuc<br />
remains rem emain ains s to t<br />
to o be e discovered.<br />
disc discovered<br />
ed.<br />
Thirty Thi Thirty rty six projects proj oject ects presented pres res r ent en ed in this thi this s section ssect<br />
ection ion investigate in inves vestig tigate ate mechanisms me mecha chani nisms ms that tha that t underlie uunde<br />
nderlie e cancer ccanc<br />
ncer initiation, initia tiatio tion, n<br />
progression pr progre gressi ssion and<br />
nd me metas metastasis tas ta tas tasis is an and compa compare mpare re the them m wwith<br />
with ith th their<br />
eir no norma normal rmal l ccoun<br />
counterparts. ounter terpar parts. ts A num numbe number ber of th them<br />
em foc focus<br />
us<br />
on mol mo molecular ecu ecular lar me mecha mechanisms, chanis nisms, ms, s in inclu including cluding g DDNA<br />
DNA NA rep repair repair, a , onco oncogenes, ncogen genes, es, tu tumor<br />
mor su suppr suppressor ppress es or r gen ggenes, es, ch chrom chromosome<br />
romos osome e<br />
alterations, alt altera eratio tions, ns telom te telomere lomere ere ma maint maintenance, ntena enance nce ce, epig epigenetics, pigene enetic tics, s, and progr programmed ogrammed e cel cell l ddeat<br />
death. eath. h.<br />
Due tto<br />
to availability of the<br />
he com comple complete ple l te hum human<br />
an gen genome<br />
ome and d rrapid<br />
apid incr increase ncreas ease e iin<br />
in n pprot<br />
proteomic roteom eomic c and a and tr trans transcriptomic<br />
an cri ripto pto p mic ic<br />
data dat data a aan<br />
n integrative appr approach pp oac oachh iis<br />
is s n nneeded.<br />
eed ee ed. A gro group<br />
up of pro projec projects jects ts pre presen presented sented ted in th this<br />
is sec sectio section tio tion n eempl<br />
employ mploy oy sys sy systems tem tems<br />
and computation<br />
computational ion o al bio bbiology logyy aappr<br />
approaches pproac oac oaches hes an and d hhigh<br />
high-throughput igh-th -throu roughp ghput ut ana analys analyses lyses es to inv investiga investigate iga gate te e com comple complex ple plex network<br />
ork<br />
of f int iinteractions eracti tions ons in th the cell cell. ell.<br />
Moreover, Mor oreov eover, er, FP FP6 6 ssupp<br />
supports pport orts srese rresearch<br />
esearc arch h oon<br />
on n nthe t tthe<br />
he h dev develo development elopme pment nt of sop sophis sophisticated histic ticate ated d ttool<br />
tools ool ools s a aand<br />
and nd nov novel<br />
el tec techno technologies,<br />
hno hn log lo ies,<br />
for example ex eexamp ample analyses analys lyses es and imaging im imagi aging ng in n situ, sit situ, u, that tha that t wwill<br />
will ill en enabl enable able e rrese<br />
researchers esearc archer hers s to tto<br />
o investigate inve inv<br />
nvesti stigat gate e nnorm<br />
normal ormal al fun fu functioning cti ctioni oning<br />
of f the cell ccell and the e changes cchanges<br />
that lea lead ead d tto<br />
to o c ccanc<br />
cancer anc ancer e ini initia initiation tiatio tion n aand<br />
and nd pro progre progression. gre gressi ssi ss on.<br />
‘Know ‘Kn Know your enemy’<br />
y’ – ssaid<br />
aid Sun n Tzu TTzu<br />
zu in n the ‘The Art of War’. Wa War’. r. <strong>Research</strong> Re Resea search rch on cancer ca cance n r biology biol iology og is crucial cr crucial in our<br />
fi fight gght<br />
with cancer.<br />
r. Ex Exploring g tthe<br />
the he key ggenetic,<br />
genetic, biochemical and cellular cha changes hanges ges involved<br />
ved in cancer ca cance ncer initiationtio<br />
ion and progression progressi sion on n will wil will l yield yyiel<br />
iel e dn d new disease biomarkers and targets for treatment treatme tm nt and ultimately ultimate ately l pav pave the<br />
way ay to new therapies. therapi pies es.<br />
9<br />
Dominika Trzaska Trz Tr ask as a