Stem Cells and Cancer Group

Strategic Goals

1. To describe the key molecular mechanisms responsible for the self-renewal of colon cancer stem cells (CoCSC).
2. To identify the central molecules responsible for the development of metastasis in colon cancer.
3. To investigate the relevance of novel transcription factors as nuclear effectors of Wnt/betacatenin signal in colon cancer.
4. To test the efficacy of known and new drugs on CoCSC, with special attention to the molecular mechanisms involved in chemoresistance and metastasis.

Current objectives

• To characterize the gene expression profile specific to the new CoCSC populations described in our laboratory. This screening approach will allow us to identify new molecules specifically expressed by CoCSC, which could become effective biomarkers for predicting tumor progression and response to therapy.
• To finish our first project relating to Wnt/beta-catenin and PI3K/Akt/FOXO pathways in colon cancer metastasis.
• Study of the relevance of  mechanisms in the acquisition of stem cell properties and resistance to Akt inhibitors.