Contribution of TP53 and RB1 to lineage plasticity prostate cancer (Dr. Laura Brandt, Postdoc)
We are investigating the contribution of RB1 and TP53 loss of function to the development and progression of AR-negative metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (ARN mCRPC including double-negative prostate cancer (DNPC) and neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC)). We plan to identify genes which in combination with loss of function of TP53 or RB1 have clinical relevance such as resistance to AR-directed therapy and evidence of cell plasticity including neuroendocrine characteristics.
Additionally, we are working on a collaborative project together with Shana Sturla (ETHZ) and Orlando Schärer (IBS Korea) to develop new therapeutic strategies that exploit vulnerabilities in the transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER) pathway of PCa patients. The objectives are to elucidate biochemical modes of the transcription-coupled DNA damage response and to understand how this process functions in clinically relevant and genetically defined human cancer models. This Sinergia project is supported by the Swiss National Research Foundation.
