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The project, led by the scientist Raquel Batlle, receives a grant of 60,000 €.
The study will determine the potential of p38 protein as a therapeutic target or as a diagnostic indicator in colorectal cancer.
Postdoctoral researcher Raquel Batlle, member of the Signalling and Cell Cycle Laboratory led by Ángel Rodríguez Nebreda at IRB Barcelona, will conduct a project called “Contribution of p38 MAPK signalling to colitis-associated colorectal tumorigenesis” over two years. This project has obtained one of the 60,000-€ grants given by the Olga Torres Foundation in late 2014.
p38, inflammation, and colon cancer
One of the best-documented associations between chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis is colorectal cancer in patients that suffer from bowel inflammation.
Given that one of the main functions of p38α protein is the regulation of inflammatory mediators, the study of this kinase as a possible therapeutic target in tumour processes related to inflammation is highly attractive.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease, both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s colitis, are at increased risk of developing this type of cancer.
In a recent article, Ángel R. Nebreda’s group described how p38α is essential to maintain the health of the intestinal epithelium, regulate the severity of colitis, and act as a colon cancer suppressor.
The principal objective of this project is to examine how p38α regulates colorectal tumorigenesis associated with colitis. The results will unravel the role of p38α and its effectors in the biology of cancer, as well as the interaction between epithelial cells and the tissue, with the aim to estimate its value as a therapeutic target or as a diagnostic indicator.
This project has the potential to open up new perspectives of colorectal cancer associated with colitis and the possibility to consider p38α MAPK signalling as a new therapeutic strategy.
The Olga Torres Foundation (FOT), a non-profit private organisation, gives these 2-year grants to projects dedicated to the study of cancer and its relation with immunological alterations.
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
