Oncofoetal Ecosystem Lab

Cancer cells are well-known for their ability to change their cellular programming rapidly, a process called 'cellular plasticity', which enables them to overcome standard clinical treatments. This characteristic has become a significant obstacle in modern cancer research, leading to a continuous cycle of cancer cells adapting and surviving under various selective pressures.

Recent findings from our research team have revealed the presence of foetal-like reprogramming within the tumour microenvironment, creating fertile ground for cancer cells to thrive. Interestingly, cells with this reprogramming are first present during foetal development and then reappear in certain cancers but are absent in other stages of life. Because of their similarity to foetal cells, we refer to these cancer cells as 'oncofoetal cells'. This uniqueness provides an exceptional opportunity to target these oncofetal cells in the tumour microenvironment without disrupting normal cells. Our approach represents a radical departure from traditional strategies, focusing on depleting the nurturing environment where cancerous cells take hold.

Our research priorities

Research area 1

Discovery: Cellular stress-associated epigenetic and genetic signals that facilitate foetal-like reprogramming in development, regeneration, and disease.

This program aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms driving cellular reprogramming to understand how these processes are hijacked in cancer and employed in regenerative medicine.

Technologies: Comparative single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, machine learning, whole genome sequencing, single-cell epigenome profiling

Research area 2

Diagnosis: Innovative diagnostic tools to harness developmental programs as a biomarker of disease progression and for therapeutic stratification.

This program is developing novel diagnostic techniques that leverage foetal-like reprogramming markers to improve early detection, monitor disease progression, and guide personalised therapy.  

Technologies: Digital pathology, circulating tumour DNA, master observational trials 

Research area 3

Therapeutics: Developing modulators of tissue microenvironment reprogramming for regenerative and anti-cancer therapies.

This program focuses on creating therapeutic agents that modulate the tissue microenvironment, promoting regeneration in damaged tissues and inhibiting tumour growth by disrupting the oncofoetal ecosystem.                                  

Technologies: mRNA vaccines, CAR-T cells, Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs)