The Cris Against Cancer Foundation has awarded a new project, through the CRIS for Emerging Leaders program, to researcher Francisco Lorenzo-Martín, who will join the Cancer Research Center (University of Salamanca-CSIC, FICUS) in the coming weeks.
The project ‘Next-generation colorectal cancer microecosystems for high-resolution modeling of tumor microenvironments derived from patients’ will receive funding of 400,000 euros and will last for five years.
Sources from the CIC have told Europa Press that colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, but its study in the laboratory faces a key challenge, as traditional models (such as 2D cultures) do not adequately replicate the complexity of the tumor microenvironment, i.e., the cellular and molecular environment surrounding the tumor that fundamentally influences it.
This is because the 2D cultures commonly used in research are based on cells that grow on a flat plastic surface, without three-dimensional architecture or interactions with other cell types.
Therefore, this model oversimplifies reality, as noted by the CIC. For this reason, another model being used by the scientific community is 3D systems based on organoids.
Compared to 2D cultures, the use of organoids in research has advantages because they mimic the three-dimensional structure of the tumor, but they still lack key components of the microenvironment, such as fibroblasts or immune cells.
To overcome these limitations, the project to be developed by Dr. Francisco Lorenzo-Martín, from the Cancer Research Center, proposes to develop platforms to address the shortcomings of conventional culture models.
Through this new project, the aim is to reproduce the native interactions between colorectal cancer and its autologous tumor microenvironment, composed of the patient’s own cells, molecules, and specific structures.
BETTER ADAPTATION
Therefore, this model better adapts to the necessary context to develop personalized cancer approaches because it integrates elements specific to the individual to understand and treat cancer more precisely. These next-generation microecosystems incorporate Lorenzo-Martín’s previous experience in microfluidics, tissue engineering, and cancer biology.
The model will allow for high-resolution studies of colorectal cancer dynamics and the interaction of the tumor microenvironment using samples derived from patients.
In conclusion, Lorenzo-Martín emphasized that «the award of the Cris Against Cancer Foundation for the project ‘Next-generation colorectal cancer microecosystems for high-resolution modeling of tumor microenvironments derived from patients’ represents great support for designing new in vitro models of colorectal cancer that contribute to the advancement of personalized oncology.»
As announced by the Cancer Research Center in December 2024, Francisco Lorenzo-Martín will join the Cancer Research Center in May 2025 to lead a laboratory focused on advanced cancer systems and oncogenomics.
This new research project is part of the overall strategy to attract emerging research groups in Cancer.
«Francisco is an example of one of the main objectives of the Cancer Research Center of Salamanca: to attract valuable young people who bring new ideas and cutting-edge technologies to the Center and our R&D system. I would also like to thank, on behalf of the entire Cancer Research Center of Salamanca, the support that Cris Against Cancer is providing to our Center and to people affected by cancer,» emphasized CIC Director Xosé Bustelo.