Research
Epithelial Growth and Cancer : A. Djiane

In healthy tissues, the behaviours of cells such as proliferation and adhesion are tightly controlled, resulting in the harmonious growth of tissues and organs. Cells engage in complex signalling events at close and long-range which must then be integrated. Invariably, cancer cells adapt and evade these tight regulations, high-jacking cell signalling to fuel their proliferation, and to invade surrounding and distant tissues. Using complementary approaches and experimental models, the team “Epithelial cell proliferation and polarisation” is interested in understanding how short and long range signalling are integrated in epithelial cells, and how their mis-regulations could contribute to solid cancer development. More specifically the team aims to better understand:

1. the function of apical scaffolds in the regulation of cell signalling and adhesion

2. cell signalling at close range and how cells decide whether they should proliferate or die

3. cell signalling at long range, and how systemic responses influence cancer cell behaviours.

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