Tumours contain different types of cells, some help the tumour to grow, while others help it to spread to different parts of the body. Cancer cells that spread (metastasise) become difficult to treat and eradicate. It is important that we learn more about how these aggressive cancer cells spread, and how we can prevent cancer metastasis.
Prof. Matthias Ernst’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that promote the growth and spread of cancer cells and specifically investigates the role of inflammatory signals called cytokines. One of these cytokine – called interleukin-11 - causes cancer cells to grow and spread in stomach and colon cancer.
Prof. Ernst’s group proved that blocking interleukin-11 is an effective treatment for these cancers. With this grant, Prof. Ernst together with his colleague Dr. Ashwini Chand, will determine whether these novel experimental approaches can also stop breast cancer cells from spreading. The study hopes to provide the required data for designing new clinical trials to potentially deliver a new treatment for aggressive forms of breast cancer.