Adult Brain tumors

Projects developed by Monique Dontenwill

We focus on receptors involved in the sensing of the microenvironment of tumors and in particular receptors of the extracellular matrix such as integrins. Despite failure of clinical trials in glioblastoma with integrin αvβ3 inhibitor cilengitide, integrins remains potential therapeutic targets in solid tumors. We focus since several years on α5β1 integrin and demonstrated its implication in the glioblastoma resistance to therapies in preclinical and clinical settings. Our work aims to characterize the fine biology of this integrin in the context of glioblastoma inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity. Understanding the networks involved in the regulation of this integrin expression and functions will help to define patient subpopulations that will answer to treatments including integrin inhibition. Based on systems biology analysis and pertinent preclinical models, our goal is to resolve the heterogeneity and plasticity of glioma tumor cells to propose new therapeutic options in the field. We aim to integrate multi-parameter evaluations to longitudinally explore the Achilles’heels of the tumors. Our work is based on transdisciplinary collaborations with clinicians, chemists, biocomputing experts and biologists.