Research topics

Primary focus of studies in the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology is the investigation of mechanisms responsible for chemoresistance and progression of malignant cancers. The scientific model involves epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and colorectal cancer (CRC), both of which characterize with ineffective diagnosis, resistance to therapy and enhanced invasiveness, what translates to high mortality. The secondary focus of our research is screening for viable biomarkers for EOC and CRC. Thanks to valuable and effective cooperation with many oncologists from Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital Research Institute and Medical University in Łódź we extend our study with the clinical material from patients (blood, cancer tissue, tissue specimen).

Main scientific trends:

• Recognition of molecular mechanisms determining the resistance of ovarian cancer cells, both intrinsic and acquired, to therapeutic agents
• Recognition of molecular patterns of colorectal cancer progression
• Searching for potential biomarkers to optimize diagnosis of ovarian cancer and benign ovarian tumors
• Searching for prognostic factors of colorectal cancer
• Investigation of tumor microenvironment involvement in colorectal cancer progression
• Investigation of tumor microenvironment involvement in ovarian cancer chemoresistance
• Overall analysis of the importance and functions of tumor-associated macrophages in the tumor microenvironment.