Units

Laboratory of Oncology and Experimental Surgery

Our laboratory is specialized in Malignant Melanoma Research and in pigment cell research in general. It combines fundamental and applied research to clinical research. Many research orientations are currently underway: - The design of novel treatment strategies including new anticancer drug candidates; - The study of melanoma metatstatic process; - The radiobiologie of melanoma; - New melanoma markers; - Risk factors for melanoma including some specific gene mutations.

Projetcs

MAPK pathway as a target for therapy in melanoma.

The project investigates new machanisms to overcome MAPK pathway inhibitors in BRAF or NRAS mutated melanomas.

Kinome, gene expression and mutation profiling to predict response to new therapies in metastatic melanoma and to bring new insights in mechanism of resistance

Kinase profiling in melanoma metatstatic tissue allows to obtain a precise image of the global activity of signaling pathways and to correlate it with the response to targeted cancer agents such as kinase inhibitors currently extensively studied. The first aim is to establish kinase profiles that can first suggest the inhibitor to be used and to predict response. The second aim will be to study the intrinsic and acquired mechanisms of resistance.

TYRP1 (tyrosinase-related protein 1) as prognosis marker and target for therapy - TYRP1 function and regulation by miRNA

The gene expression level of Tyrp1 in melanoma metadteses correlates with patients' survival. The evaluation of this gene and its corresponding protein has an intersting prognostic value to refine the initial prognosis of the primary lesion or to estiblish it.

Evaluation and mechanism of action of novel anticancer targeted drugs: Dasatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor in melanoma.

Evaluation of the cytotoxic effect and molecular mechanisms associated with the sensitivity to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib in a panel of melanoma cell lines established from metastatic tissue. Identification of markers to select melanoma patients who would benefit from dasatinib therapy.

Establishment and characterisation of human melanoma cell lines

It is evident that cell culture is an essential research tool. However, it is important that it represents the tissue of origine at best as well as the subtypes of the disease. About one hundred cell lines were established in particular culture conditions under a strict QC program to form a cell bank.Some twenty lines have been caracterized until now as to the expression, mutation,... of genes recognized to be important in melanoma biology.