RESEARCH

Our laboratory is interested in understanding how metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming influence tumor development and metastasis and to invetigate the possibility to target these alterations for therapeutic purposes.

Main topics of our lab include:

1) Energy and redox rewiring in Cancer

Alteration of cellular metabolism is a key feature of both developing tissues and cancer cells. We are interested in understanding how metabolic pathways are altered in cancer cells and tumor microenvironment and how they can be targeted for therapeutic intervention. A key question is  how perturbations of NADH/NAD+ equilibrium affect genetic and epigenetic reprogramming to promote cancer growth and spreading and how redox imbalance can be corrected with specific pharmacological and dietary interventions.

2) Targeting MYC in Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

MYC oncogene is a key tumorigenic driver and controls cancer formation and spreading. MYC is upregulated in most of CRCs and is considered an ideal therapeutic target. Direct or indirect inhibition of MYC has been difficult to achieve due to its undraggable structure and because of its multiple mechanisms of compensation. We are trying to solve these difficulties with novel approaches aimed at inhibiting its translation and/or its transcription at multiple levels, using combined targeting of key regulators.

3) Role of microbiota in regulating cancer initiation and progression

Emerging evidence show that commensal microbiota plays a key role during tumorigenesis by altering tumor microenvironment and affecting specific oncogenic patways. We are characterizing signaling molucules, metabolites and specific pathways connecting microbiota sensing to dowstream events in cancer stem cells and the immune system.