FRRB Project 1731093 - Interrogating circulating lung tumor cells to guide personalized therapies and identify novel targets to hit metastasis initiating cells
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Name and Surname of PI |
Giulia Bertolini |
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Project Acronym |
CTC Mining |
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Project ID |
1731093 |
|
Host Institution |
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale per lo studio e la cura dei Tumori - Milan |
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Pathology of Interest |
Lung Cancer |
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Research Area |
Oncology |
|
Project Start Date |
1 April 2021 |
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Project End Date |
31 March 2024 |
|
Funding |
€ 574.660,00 |
|
Type of Project |
Individual |
PROJECT SUMMARY
Despite recent pharmacological progress, the survival rate of advanced stage lung cancer patients remains poor, mainly due to drug resistance and metastatic progression that ultimately represents the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), the rare subset of cells released into the bloodstream from the primary tumor, are responsible for metastases formation. In this project, CTCs will be identified and monitored through non-invasive venous blood sampling in lung cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We will use innovative technologies allowing comprehensive single-cell analyses of CTC, necessary for understanding the complexity and heterogeneity of the tumor. Based on the CTC study, our goals are to identify patients who respond to chemotherapy treatment, anticipating clinical end-points, to guide optimal combination strategies ensuring personalized therapy for each patient and ultimately unveil new targets to impair metastatization.