Events

Speaker: Dr. Vasiliki Koliaraki
Associate Professor, Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center in Athens, Greece.

https://www.fleming.gr/koliaraki-lab

Host: Dr. Saara Ollila

Synopsis:

Cancer is long considered a “wound that does not heal”. Indeed, neoplastic transformation is frequently associated with the acquisition of regenerative gene signatures, especially at the early stages of carcinogenesis. Fibroblasts play crucial roles in both processes, through their activation and downstream functions, and cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) reprogramming is considered a promising therapeutic strategy against cancer. Notably, fibroblast activation during damage and repair is considered a reversible process, while CAF activation is described as irreversible. However, similar microenvironmental stimuli and signaling pathways are involved in both processes. To better understand the molecular mechanisms driving this diverse cell activation, we focus on intestinal fibroblasts and employ animal disease models, single-cell transcriptomics, and epigenetic analysis, as well as lineage-tracing experiments and in vitro 3D co-culture assays. During my talk, I will discuss our most recent data on the mechanisms driving fibroblast activation in regeneration and across the adenoma – to carcinoma continuum.