Computational Cancer Genomics and Tumour Evolution
The lab focuses on different phases of tumour evolution (healthy tissues, primary tumours, metastatic tumours…), mainly by using somatic mutation patterns.
Somatic mutations are small DNA errors that accumulate during lifetime, eventually resulting in the formation of a malignant tumour. Studying their patterns has the potential to identify new cancer genes, indicate specific cancer vulnerabilities, or unveil fundamental processes that occur during tumor evolution like tumour-immune interactions, the development of treatment resistance or metastatic behaviour.
Research projects
Immuno-editing and immune evasion mechanisms in the cancer genome
The human immune system has a key role in controlling tumour growth. This century-old idea has been reinforced in recent years due to the success of cancer therapies that modulate the immune system. However, different genomic alterations lead to evasion of this immune reaction and can result in a lack of immunotherapy response. This project aims to identify these alterations and understand how the cancer genome adapts to immune cell interactions during tumour evolution.
- researchers: Jimmy Van den Eynden, Arne Claeys
- funding: BOF Starting Grant (Special Research Fund, Ghent University)
Mutational clonality in healthy tissues
Malignant tumour formation results from the sequential accumulation of somatic driver mutations. While these mutations have now been well-characterized in many primary tumours, little is known about their presence in the earliest phases of tumour evolution, which is expected to occur in healthy cells. This research project aims to identify and characterize early mutational clonality in different organs from which malignant tumour formation is known to occur frequently.
- researchers: Jimmy Van den Eynden, Tom Luijts, Joachim Siaw, Arne Claeys, Wouter Willaert, Joris Van de Velde, Anne Vral, Elien Beyls
- funding: Kom op tegen Kanker (EVdS PhD starting grantTom Luijts)
ALK signalling in cancer
ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) is a protein that is driving subgroups of neuroblastoma and other cancers. This multidisciplinary and international project aims to identify new therapeutic targets in cancers where ALK genomic alterations have been described as genomic driving events.
- researchers: Jimmy Van den Eynden, Jonatan Gabre, Joachim Siaw
- funding: Barncancer Fonden (postdoc fellowship Joachim Siaw)
Collaborations
- ALK signaling in cancer: Bengt Hallberg and Ruth Palmer (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
- Population Models for In-Silico Clinical Trials: Emmanuel Audenaert
- Data integration and biological networks in cancer: Kathleen Marchal (Ghent University)
- UV mutagenesis: Erik Larsson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
- Peritoneal carcinomatosis: Wim Ceelen and Wouter Willaert
Publications
Questions?
- Jimmy Van den Eynden, researcher
+32 9 332 48 55