Completed Cancer Genetics & Molecular Biology

Molecular origins of metastatic cancer phenotypes

Funder MRC (part of UKRI)
Recipient organisation University of Cambridge
Funding £2.1M
Period Sept 2013 — Mar 2022

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Metastasis—the spread of cancer to distant organs—causes roughly 90% of cancer deaths, yet the genetic machinery that allows metastatic tumours to grow and persist remains poorly understood. This project uses experimental cancer models, functional genetics, and computer analysis of large cancer datasets to identify the specific genes that metastatic cancers depend on for survival. The problem is stark: most metastatic cancers resist treatment and are incurable, so understanding their molecular drivers is a pressing clinical need. If the work succeeds, it will provide a clearer picture of the fundamental biology that enables cancer to spread and thrive. That knowledge could eventually lead to new drug targets for metastatic disease and to biomarkers that predict which patients are at risk of metastasis or how their cancer will respond to therapy. This is primarily fundamental science—it will not produce a treatment tomorrow. But similar foundational work on cancer genetics has repeatedly opened the door to targeted therapies and diagnostic tools that now save lives.

View original technical description
The spread of cancer to distant organs in a process termed metastasis is one of the most devastating aspects of cancer, being the cause of ~90% of cancer-related deaths. The vast majority of metastatic cancers are refractory to treatment and are therefore incurable. Thus, there is a pressing clinical need for further research on the molecular basis of metastatic cancer. Our approach combines state-of-the-art experimental cancer models, functional genetics and computer-based analysis of cancer data sets to identify genetic factors that are required for the growth and maintenance of metastatic cancer. The expected benefit from this work is a better understanding of the molecular mechanism that drive cancer metastasis. This knowledge will serve as a basis for the development of rational therapeutic strategies to combat metastatic cancer. Thus, the potential secondary benefits of this work will go beyond basic cancer research, possibly leading to the identification of (i) new molecular targets for metastatic cancer and (ii) novel predictive and/or prognostic biomarkers for metastatic cancer.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Sakari Vanharanta (Principal Investigator)

Related Research

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Original classification

Intramural

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.