Cell-of-origin of Prostate Cancer and Clinical Heterogeneity

24 January
24 gennaio 2019
24 January 2018
Contatti: 
Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO)
Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo (TN)
Tel. 
+39 0461 283163 - 1203 - 3995 - 1622 - 3706

Venue: Povo 2 - room B101
Time: 2.00 pm

Speaker:

  • Esther Beana - Prostate Oncobiology Laboratory, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester

Abstract:
Personalized treatment for prostate cancer remains a challenge because there are no clear molecular subtypes to guide patient response. Imaging, PSA levels and pathological assessment of biopsies through the Gleason grading system remain the gold standard for diagnosis and risk stratification. Moreover, most genomic campaigns analysed single biopsies with reduce analysis of their cellular landscape, which limit the value of this analysis in what is known to be a multifocal disease. By combining genomic and multiparametric imaging analysis of high-risk prostate cancer patients, we have characterized the radiogenomic landscape of multifocal prostate cancer. Moreover, coupling single-cell profiling and functional characterization by organoid-culture and in situ lineage-tracing analysis in mouse models, we have identified inherently castration-resistant cellular subpopulations in the prostate defined by their unique cell-surface markers.

In particular, our studies define LY6D as a marker for prostate progenitors and castration-resistant luminal cells, which may serve as prognostic maker for advanced prostate cancer. Further functional characterisation of the identified therapy-resistant prostate luminal subpopulations will highlight their contribution to tumour subtypes thereby advancing patient stratification and setting a pipeline to develop novel therapeutics.