Advances in research against pediatric cancers

This joint research unit of the CNRS and the University of Caen-Normandy (UNICAEN) is housed at the GIP CYCERON in Caen and brings together around 50 members: researchers, biologists, anatomopathologists and clinicians, doctors or surgeons, around the understanding of the physiopathology of hypoxic tumors (brain-lung) and the identification of new therapeutic strategies targeting the tumor and its microenvironment but also aimed at protecting the surrounding healthy tissue from anti-cancer treatments such as radiotherapy.

Professor Guénaëlle Levallet runs this branch located in the new biology-research building of the Caen Normandy University Hospital and of which Dr Jérémie Rouger is a member. In addition to the cancer models already studied in this group (lung cancer, mesothelioma, kidney cancer, gliomas, hairy cell leukemia, myeloma) , Dr. Rouger is preparing to develop research projects on lymphomas, a type of cancer which affects the lymphatic system, which is essential for our body's immune defense. He will draw on his experience in medicine and his previous work on acute childhood leukemia to carry out these research projects.

The cellular microenvironment acts as a “neighborhood” around cells, influencing how they behave. In cancer, this neighborhood encourages cancer cells to spread. That's why understanding how it works is crucial to finding better cancer treatments. Dr. Rouger 's research will focus on understanding the role of the cellular microenvironment in the migration and maintenance of tumor cells in tissues, particularly in the central nervous system including the brain. Several studies on hematological diseases, diseases that affect the blood or bone marrow, show that when oxygen is low in certain parts of the body (called hypoxia) , this can attract and protect cancer cells. effects of treatments. One of the current projects seeks to understand how hypoxia, which occurs naturally in specific areas of the body called “niches,” affects cancer cells. Better understanding these phenomena will help to develop therapeutic strategies aimed at eliminating tumor cells in their niche and thus preventing cancer recurrence.

The ISTCT unit and its emerging oncoCARE group have all the materials and skills necessary to carry out these new projects. This unit is in fact already recognized internationally for its expertise, particularly in oncology, in particular thanks to the numerous tools developed within the Cyceron platform. Benefiting from both these tools and the modernity of the new equipment available at the Caen Normandy University Hospital during the reconstruction of the University Hospital, the projects currently developed and under development within oncoCARE and more broadly within the unit ISTCT will boost cancer research in our region and contribute to improving knowledge, for the benefit of patients.