Reciprocal signalling between stem cells and their microenvironment in epidermis and tumours

Skin stem cells receive chemical instructions from their surroundings that tell them whether to multiply or mature, and this project will map those signals in both healthy skin and mouth cancers. The problem is that mouth cancer kills roughly half of patients who develop it, and current treatments cannot reliably predict how an individual’s disease will progress. The signals that control stem cell behaviour in the epidermis—the skin’s outer layer—are poorly understood, and it is unclear how those same signals go wrong in tumours. This project will identify the specific molecular messages that pass between stem cells and their neighbouring cells, and then test whether the genetic changes found in mouth cancer cells can be used to forecast the disease’s course. If successful, the work could lead to better prognostic tests for mouth cancer and identify new targets for drugs that block the signals driving uncontrolled tumour growth. The research is fundamental science: it aims to understand a basic biological process—how stem cells decide their fate—rather than to produce an immediate treatment. Similar fundamental work on stem cell signalling has previously opened routes to therapies for skin disorders and other cancers.