Cellular Biology of Advanced Gastrointestinal Cancers

Our laboratory explores the entire spectrum of biomedical cancer research, from fundamental mechanisms to clinical applications. Our work focuses primarily on colorectal and pancreatic cancers, which account for a significant and rising number of deaths.

Our approach is based on two complementary areas:

• We develop and utilize patient-derived organoids to design precision medicine approaches that can be translated into clinical practice. Working closely with clinicians, our team now serves as a central platform for a large-scale clinical trial in precision oncology (ORGANOTREAT). In addition, we are studying the mechanisms of treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer and identifying the changes associated with the emergence of this resistance.

• We seek to characterize the fundamental properties of cancer cells. To do so, we combine microengineering approaches, advanced imaging, biophysical modeling, and multidisciplinary research to better understand the collective migration of tumor cells.

To overcome the limitations of conventional models, we focus on studying tumor explants derived from patient-derived organoids. These models, which are rare in academic laboratories, have revealed:

• a previously unobserved mode of invasion;

• new neoplastic behaviors;

• migratory properties linked to improved patient care;

• the collective migration of cancer clusters and the role of the stromal response in their dissemination;

• the link between tumor cluster polarity and invasive colorectal cancers.

Current projects: METAgreg; RHU ORGANOMIC