Tumor Evasion and New Targets

"Understanding tumor mechanisms of resistance to treatments is the only way to identify new targets and therapeutic combinations that improve the clinical outcomes of current therapies."

DR. JUAN DUBROT ARMENDÁRIZ
RESEARCHER. TUMOR EVASION AND NEW TARGETS RESEARCH GROUP

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Tumor Evasion and New Targets

Tumors have a great capacity for adaptation and are able to set in motion multiple resistance mechanisms in response to treatment.

Our work focuses on understanding these mechanisms by which tumors are able to resist and evade the effects of treatments such as radiotherapy or immunotherapy in order to identify new therapies and combinations that improve survival and quality of life of patients.

To carry out our research we have a multidisciplinary team, as well as sophisticated animal models and cutting-edge technologies for the identification of new therapeutic targets for pancreatic cancer. In the laboratory we use functional genomics to identify genes that mediate resistance to treatment by performing in vivo genetic screening experiments in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer. By applying technologies such as single cell transcriptomic analysis (scRNA seq) we can also study changes in the tumor microenvironment that allow us to understand the mechanisms of action of the antitumor response in different contexts. All this is supported by a close collaboration with other renowned groups, both national and international, in research centers such as the Broad Institute (Cambridge, US) or the Weizmann Institute (Israel).

Not least, the group's philosophy is based on scientific quality in an environment of solidarity, teamwork and constant learning.

Dr. Juan Dubrot Armendáriz

GROUP LEADER

	+34 948 194 700
	jdubrot@unav.es

Objectives of our research

We seek to identify mechanisms of resistance that limit the different treatments against pancreatic cancer with the aim of designing new therapeutic strategies and improving the treatment and prediction of patients' response to treatment.

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To identify genetic susceptibilities to radio-immunotherapy

To study epigenetic mechanisms associated with resistance to immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer

To develop new therapeutic strategies in pancreatic cancer models

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DESIGNING BETTER THERAPIES WITH IMPACT ON PATIENTS

Leading-edge techniques and multidisciplinarity

We are experts in functional genomics techniques, such as in vivo genetic screens that allow the unbiased identification of genes that mediate resistance to treatment through preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

Our philosophy is based on striving for scientific quality in an environment of solidarity, teamwork, and constant learning.

Lines of research

IP: Juan Dubrot

Description:

Using multi-omics techniques, we propose to study the changes that occur in tumors after treatment in order to understand how radioimmunotherapy damages tumors and how tumors defend themselves. This will allow us to overcome the resistance mechanisms employed by cancer and to discover new therapeutic targets or combinations that improve the clinical results of current therapies.

IP: Juan Dubrot

Description:

Radiation therapy is one of the most important and widely used cancer treatments. While it is able to activate the immune system, at the same time, radiation triggers immunosuppressive mechanisms. In the laboratory we use gene therapy based on AAV vectors to express immune activating molecules such as IL-12 to reverse these suppressive mechanisms and enhance anti-tumor responses.

IP: Juan Dubrot

Description:

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal disease with a high degree of resistance to virtually any type of therapy. Epigenetic modifications regulate gene expression and collaborate with genetic alterations to promote and control tumor progression by adapting genetic programs to the needs of the tumor under certain conditions. Using in vivo functional genomics, we aim to identify epigenetic regulators that limit in situ antitumor effector functions and thereby discover novel combinatorial strategies that enhance antitumor responses in PDAC patients.