Identifying new therapeutic approaches for treatment-resistant bowel cancer

Project information

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the one with the highest incidence in Spain. Although the survival rate has increased over the last 40 years, only slightly more than half of patients survive 10 years or more after diagnosis. This is partly because bowel cancer often becomes resistant to treatments, so new ways to combat this resistance are urgently needed.

This project seeks to better understand the behavior of tumor cells by studying a type of molecule called "long non-coding RNA" (lncRNA). The lncRNA can interact with other molecules within the cell and influence its behavior. In cancer cells, this can contribute to the development of resistance to treatment.

Normal cells self-destruct when subjected to enormous stress, but some cancer cells lose this ability. Restoring this ability to self-destruct in cancer cells could be one way to stop cancer growth. It is believed that lncRNAs are involved in this process, but their role is not well understood.

Dr. Huarte and her team now want to study the role of lncRNAs in "stressed" cells to better understand the behavior of cancer cells. These insights could lead to the identification of new ways to develop targeted cancer therapies.

• Reference: Worldwide Cancer Research Grant 2020
• Start date: January 1, 2021
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Funder: Worldwide Cancer Research
• Grant: 233.500£
• Nature of project: International