Thematic Axis: Tumor Initiation and Prevention

Head of the axis : David Bernard

Cancers are generally diagnosed at advanced stage compromising surgical resection and success of treatment, detecting and treating them earlier is expected to improve cancer prevention, patient care and treatment. Cancer formation is initiated by oncogenic activation, and is influenced by our genetic, exposures and/or lifestyle. Oncogenic activation can lead in transient or stable formation of preneoplastic lesions. The evolution of the pre-neoplastic lesions and tumor initiation will be influenced by many intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms and factors. Describe mechanisms and factors either promoting or blocking the progression of these pre-tumoral lesions is essential to potentially detect them, predict their evolution and/or propose strategies to intercept them.
In that context, 9 teams of the CRCL develop original research:

BMP, Ecosystem, stemness and dynamic in cancer

Team leaders: Véronique Maguer-satta
Maguer-Satta team aims to understand the cellular mechanisms underlying how BMPs orchestrate the stem cell-microenvironment dialogue with a particular interest for pollutant exposure and aging impacts on tumor initiation and early progression.

Cancer cell death

Team leader: Gabriel Ichim
The Ichim team re-examines how cancer cells interact with the process of cell death. They are especially interested in understanding how cell death itself—and its main players, like certain proteins called caspases and organelles such as mitochondria—might actually help cancer develop.

Cellular Senescence, Cancer and Aging

Team leader: David Bernard
Bernard team aims to identify intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms and factors contributing to oncogenic and stress responses, cellular senescence and tumor initiation.

Cell States and Childhood Cancers

Team leaders: Jean Yves Blay & Marie Castets
Blay/Castet team aims to identify the impact of genetic and environmental factors on tumor initiation in the context of pediatric cancers.

Genetics, Epigenetics and Biology of Sarcomas

Team leader : Franck Tirode
Tirode team aims at investigating the cellular mechanisms -and environment- that are responsible for the fusion gene tolerance in preneoplastic sarcoma cells.

Inflamasomme and cancer

Team leader: Virginie Petrilli
Petrilli team studies the new function of inflammasome sensors in the control the DNA damage response to maintain genome stability and its regulation by the circadian clock.

Cancer ecosystem dynamics, adaptation and modeling

Team leader : Pierre Saintigny
Saintigny team combine mathematical modeling, computational and experimental biology to understand the evolution of the ecosystem from normal oral mucosa to preneoplasia and oral cancer.

Reprogramming, stem cells and oncogenesis

Team leader: Fabrice Lavial
The Lavial team explores how epigenetic changes triggered by reprogramming and regeneration poise normal cells to change identity and become cancerous.

Immunity and Inflammation

Team leader: Julien Marie
Marie team aims to address an original aspect of tumor initiation through the immune system and particularly tumorigenic T cell in different cancers.