TUMOR-LOCK

Locking tumour cells at the primary site

Metastases develop from clusters of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) that detach from the primary tumour and travel through the bloodstream to new tissues. Once a tumour has metastasised, the chances of cure are significantly reduced. While the clinical and biological properties of CTCs are well understood, how they arise from a solid tumour mass is still unknown. Dr Nicola Aceto and his group have found that specific signals trigger the formation of CTCs, rather than being random. Their project aims to identify the cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms behind these signals in order to develop new therapies that block the tumour cells in situ and prevent them from spreading.