Cancer Research - Europa

Biology
Cancer 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
ll int in into o a cancer cell is a com comple complex p x multistep process in which whic hich hcell cells ce
s acquire ire
capabilities to t to divid divide vide e iinde
indefi nd fi nitely nnitely
independently indepe epende nd ntly of growth gro rowth signals, sig signal nals, s, evade programmed pro rogra gramme med d cell ccell
ell death, de d ath ath,
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
transformati ation on o
numerous changes cha hang nges s occur ooccu
ccur r at the molecular, biochemica
biochemical ical l aand
and cel cellul cellular lular ar level. lev le el. All cancers canc n ers arise due e to tto
accumulation accumu m lation on oof
of genet genetic netic ic and epige epigenetic g netic changes. Som So Some e mmuta
mutations utatio ti t ns may be
present
t in the germl germline mlin ine
thus s iincreas
increasing asing ing the e rrisk
risk of cance ca cancer ncer r ddevelopment,
evelopment, but b but many
ny occ ooccur ur during the individual’s life in n tthe
the h
somatic som so ati a c cell cells. ells. s. The There here re are many mma
many aet aaetiological iological factors
s involved
d in
n cancer, including includi d ng infection, infection o , exposure e to tto
o
chemicals che chemic m als an and othe other the ther r eenv
environmental nvi nviron ron ronmen me m tal risk ri risk s factors and
nd heredity.
y. y Th TThe e past years hha have ve witnessed a dramat dramatic matic ic
progress pro progre gre gr ss in understanding und u ers ersta tandin din ing g the tthe
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
h
is s exp expec expected ect e ed to lea lead
d tto
to o mmajo
major ajor impr improvements mprove vemen men m ts in the therap therapy. ra y. Yet Y Yet, , our
ur kno kn knowledge wle wledge d is still far r ffrom
from r compl complete mplete e
and and much mmuc
remains rem emain ains s to t
to o be e discovered.
disc discovered
ed.
Thirty Thi Thirty rty six projects proj oject ects presented pres res r ent en ed in this thi this s section ssect
ection ion investigate in inves vestig tigate ate mechanisms me mecha chani nisms ms that tha that t underlie uunde
nderlie e cancer ccanc
ncer initiation, initia tiatio tion, n
progression pr progre gressi ssion and
nd me metas metastasis tas ta tas tasis is an and compa compare mpare re the them m wwith
with ith th their
eir no norma normal rmal l ccoun
counterparts. ounter terpar parts. ts A num numbe number ber of th them
em foc focus
us
on mol mo molecular ecu ecular lar me mecha mechanisms, chanis nisms, ms, s in inclu including cluding g DDNA
DNA NA rep repair repair, a , onco oncogenes, ncogen genes, es, tu tumor
mor su suppr suppressor ppress es or r gen ggenes, es, ch chrom chromosome
romos osome e
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
death. eath. h.
Due tto
to availability of the
he com comple complete ple l te hum human
an gen genome
ome and d rrapid
apid incr increase ncreas ease e iin
in n pprot
proteomic roteom eomic c and a and tr trans transcriptomic
an cri ripto pto p mic ic
data dat data a aan
n integrative appr approach pp oac oachh iis
is s n nneeded.
eed ee ed. A gro group
up of pro projec projects jects ts pre presen presented sented ted in th this
is sec sectio section tio tion n eempl
employ mploy oy sys sy systems tem tems
and computation
computational ion o al bio bbiology logyy aappr
approaches pproac oac oaches hes an and d hhigh
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
ork
of f int iinteractions eracti tions ons in th the cell cell. ell.
Moreover, Mor oreov eover, er, FP FP6 6 ssupp
supports pport orts srese rresearch
esearc arch h oon
on n nthe t tthe
he h dev develo development elopme pment nt of sop sophis sophisticated histic ticate ated d ttool
tools ool ools s a aand
and nd nov novel
el tec techno technologies,
hno hn log lo ies,
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
will ill en enabl enable able e rrese
researchers esearc archer hers s to tto
o investigate inve inv
nvesti stigat gate e nnorm
normal ormal al fun fu functioning cti ctioni oning
of f the cell ccell and the e changes cchanges
that lea lead ead d tto
to o c ccanc
cancer anc ancer e ini initia initiation tiatio tion n aand
and nd pro progre progression. gre gressi ssi ss on.
‘Know ‘Kn Know your enemy’
y’ – ssaid
aid Sun n Tzu TTzu
zu in n the ‘The Art of War’. Wa War’. r. Research Re Resea search rch on cancer ca cance n r biology biol iology og is crucial cr crucial in our
fi fight gght
with cancer.
r. Ex Exploring g tthe
the he key ggenetic,
genetic, biochemical and cellular cha changes hanges ges involved
ved in cancer ca cance ncer initiationtio
ion and progression progressi sion on n will wil will l yield yyiel
iel e dn d new disease biomarkers and targets for treatment treatme tm nt and ultimately ultimate ately l pav pave the
way ay to new therapies. therapi pies es.
9
Dominika Trzaska Trz Tr ask as a