Understanding the role of mutation interactions in oesophageal cancer
Co-funded with:
Guts UK
Cancer types:
Oesophageal cancer
Project period:
–
Research institute:
University of Cambridge
Award amount:
£248,286
Location:
United Kingdom
Dr Maria Alcolea is exploring new ways to prevent oesophageal cancer by learning more about the tumour microenvironment and the interactions between different mutations in cancer cells.
Hope for the future
Oesophageal cancer is the 8th most common cancer worldwide, and the 6th most common cause of cancer death around the world. It is a cancer of unmet need, with poor survival rates and limited treatment options, partly because it is difficult to diagnose early on.
Dr Maria Alcolea and her team at the University of Cambridge are striving to improve the survival rates of oesophageal cancer by understanding how this disease first emerges.
Meet the scientist
Dr Alcolea’s partner is also a scientist in the same field of research, and they share the same scientific dreams and aspirations. They have two amazing children who are Dr Alcolea’s inspiration and give her the boost of energy needed to keep motivated. When she is not working, her hobby is cooking. She is Spanish and loves to indulge in fresh cooked food - her favourite is seafood!
The science
For a while now scientists have understood that cancer cells grow because of mutations accumulating in our DNA. Recently the team in Cambridge had an exciting new idea that it might not be the mutations themselves that cause cancer, but actually interactions between the mutations.
Dr Maria Alcolea and her team now plan to use a multidisciplinary approach, including the use of new 3D cell culture models, to investigate how different mutations together form an environment that supports tumour development. They hope to shed light on new ways to prevent and treat oesophageal cancer by understanding what is happening at a cellular level in the early stages of cancer growth.
The work funded by Worldwide Cancer Research is leading the way to improve the prognosis of cancer patients, and aims at preventing the development of cancer altogether. In my laboratory we share this dream, and the realization of this dream would not be possible without the incredibly generous support of Curestarters.
Complete Germany
Oesophageal cancer
By comparing oesophageal cancer cells to healthy cells researchers hope to find clues towards much needed new treatments and improve the poor survival rates.
Researcher: Dr Denes Hnisz
Unravelling the genetic background of oesophageal cancer
Complete United Kingdom
Oesophageal cancer
Oesophageal cancer is very tricky to diagnose making it hard to treat, so researchers want to find new markers to detect it earlier and improve survival rates.
Researcher: Dr Maria Alcolea
Finding ways to detect oesophageal cancer sooner
Active United Kingdom
Oesophageal cancer
Researchers hope to reveal ways to diagnose oesophageal cancer sooner and help treatments work better by better understanding the earliest stages of the disease.
Researcher: Dr Diana Blaydon
Revealing the earliest signs of oesophageal cancer