The role of senescent cells in breast cancer

Joaquín Arribas

Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques, IMIM-Hospital del Mar, Spain

Cancer is an age-related disease and a major contributor to the global health burden. Despite the ever-improving efficacy of treatments, a substantial percentage of tumours relapse, and patients often develop aggressive metastases. Accordingly, there is a continuing need to develop new therapies with more lasting effects.

Recent studies show that tumour relapse and the side effects of anti-cancer treatments are due to a large extent to the accumulation of senescent cells – damaged cells that stop growing but do not die, remaining active and releasing substances that produce harmful inflammation that promotes tumour progression.

In this project, the researchers will use experimental models to monitor and specifically eliminate these senescent cells. They will focus on breast cancer, the most common type of tumour in women. Their starting point is the hypothesis that eliminating these senescent cells during certain stages of tumour progression will contribute to the development of more efficient therapies to prevent tumour relapse and some deleterious side effects. They will also explore novel therapeutic strategies to eliminate senescent cells and find new, safer treatments.

Role of cellular senescence during breast cancer progression and treatment

€500,000