Description
METABOLIC CONTROL OF DIFFERENT RESPONSES OF HUMAN CANCER CELLS TO X-RAYAND PROTON RADIOTHERAPY
Cancer cells develop several strategies to proliferate, based on adaptation, evolution and
escape. Most cancer treatments, increase the microenvironmental pressure set on cancer
cells, accelerating natural selection and inducing escape. Therefore, the efficacy of cancer
treatment not only depends on metabolic behaviors of cancer cells at treatment initiation,
but also on metabolic changes induced by the treatment.
Approximately 50% of all cancer patients are treated with ionizing radiations, making
radiotherapy the second most frequent anticancer therapy after surgery. In this project we
will focus on two external beam radiotherapies: X-ray radiotherapy, using photons beams,
which is involved in more than 90% of radiotherapy treatment. And, proton radiotherapy
which is a newer form of particle beam radiation with better dose distribution and less healthy
tissue damage.
In order to investigate the influence of preexisting metabolic particularities and metabolic
changes of cancer cells on the outcome of X-ray and proton radiotherapies, we will generate
metabolically relevant radiosensitive and radioresistant human breast cancer cell lines as
models. We will study different metabolic pathways in these models and evaluate the
influences of the tumor microenvironment, by metabolic characterization and investigation
of possible mutations of genes. We will also perform the identification of a causal link
between metabolic phenotype and radioresistance. Finally, we will test if these treatments
induce cancer stemness responsible of tumor recurrence and metastasis, by studying the
molecular signature of cancer stem cells and determining the mRNA expression of stem cell
markers.
We will assess if proton compared to X-ray are more susceptible to decrease aggressive
cancer cell behaviors. By comparing X-ray to proton radiotherapies, we also expect to adapt
irradiation protocols, and to identify new targets for combined therapies.
| Période | 9 sept. 2022 |
|---|---|
| Type d'événement | Une conférence |
| Lieu | Namur, BelgiqueAfficher sur la carte |
| Niveau de reconnaissance | National |