Epigenetics and the tumour micro-environment
The tumour micro-environment is home to a variety of components, all of which influence the cancer cells harboured within it. However, the critical role of the micro-environment as a key driver of cancer progression is often overlooked in the development of cancer treatments.
Increasing our understanding of the complex interactions that occur within different tumour environments – particularly those driving epigenetic changes – can help us design more effective cancer treatments. This will increase our chances of successfully controlling and eradicating tumour cell populations, and saving lives.
Our researchers are particularly focused on investigating how the tumour micro-environment impacts the outcome of tumour malignancy.
Spotlight project
Controlling cancer: Understanding the mechanisms of tumour cell dormancy
Tumour dormancy is the ability of tumour cells to slowly proliferate and survive at low numbers. This feature can be desirable in primary cancers as they tend to grow slower, but highly undesirable at metastatic tissue sites as it can severely impact the treatment of metastatic cancer.
Very few models exist for exploring the mechanisms that underpin tumour cell dormancy, or the physiological interactions with micro-environments that may regulate tumour cell growth. Our research team is using models of breast and prostate cancer to investigate how tumour cell dormancy is initiated and the role the micro-environment plays in both promoting dormancy and reinitiating tumour cell growth.
The research aims at both inducing dormancy in primary tumours so that can cancer be treated as a chronic condition, and eradicating dormant metastatic tumours that can be life threatening when they become proliferative.
Read more about our research