Research Areas:
The lab,
which is being activated now, will engage in translational research of various
gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. The lab's research plan will focus on three
types of activities: translational support of clinical investigational projects,
independent basic-translational investigational projects, and collaboration
with leading labs in specific research fields (DNA repair, apoptosis,
methylation, microbiome, immunotherapy, and others).
In the near future the lab
shall focus on a number of research projects:
1. The EGFR pathway and impact of various anti-cancer therapies.
2. The role of the microbiome in the development of GI cancers and
its influence on the effectiveness of anticancer therapies.
3. Characterization of the immune profile in healthy tissues
and cancer susceptibility and the correlation between the immune score in
tumors and the response to treatment and prognosis.
4. Epigenetic changes and the development of cancer.
5. In vitro and in vivo models for the development of novel
therapeutic strategies such as the simultaneous administration of EGFR
inhibitors and checkpoint inhibitors, and the use of multimodality treatments
to overcome immune resistance in MSI-S tumors.