Epithelial Cell Fate and Plasticity

About the project

About the Project Group Leader: Dr Maria Alcolea ( Alcolea Group ) Keywords: Mutant clonal competition, Early tumorigenesis, Squamous epithelia, Epithelial stem cells, Cell fate Research Summary Epithelial cells have the essential role of protecting us from external aggressions. However, this critical barrier must be able to adapt in order to face changes during developmental tissue formation and wound healing. A cut in our skin activates a number of cellular responses ensuring that the breach is fixed in few days, recovering the protective barrier. However, given that development and wound healing require the production of a significant amount of new tissue in a relatively short time, it is not surprising that cancer cells mimic these processes to rapidly produce a tumour mass. The difference being that tissue formation and wound repair are very controlled processes, while cancer is not. The Alcolea Group aims to investigate these adaptive cellular responses and the molecular mechanisms behind them in order to understand epithelial tissue behaviour, and how this can go awry during cancer development. Research Focus The Alcolea Group research interests have been focused on studying the behaviour of progenitor cells in the mouse oesophagus as a model to unveil the basic rules underlying squamous epithelial cell fate. Their work in the field has revealed how this tissue is maintained under homeostatic conditions, and how these rules switch upon injury. More recently they have been able to identify how progenitor cells alter and adapt their behaviour in response to preneoplastic mutations, reflecting their remarkable cellular plasticity. Investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing this dynamic behaviour and the potential implications for early cancer development will constitute the basis of my research programme. To answer these questions, the group plans to make use of a combination of in vivo lineage tracing techniques, transcriptional network analysis, as well as 3D organoid and explant culture systems. To Apply: We encourage prospective PhD students to reach out directly to Dr Alcolea, mpa28@cam.ac.uk to discuss potential projects and supervision. Applicants must secure the support of a Supervisor within a laboratory before submitting an application . Please contact the project Supervisor(s) to discuss potential supervision, proposed research project and funding options, which should then be used to write your formal application. Applications will be submitted to the ' PhD in Stem Cell Biology ' and full course details can be found at PhD in Stem Cell Biology | Postgraduate Study .

Research areas