Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
PI: Maria Sibilia
Project: EGFR inhibitors have been shown to lead to reversion of the Warburg phenotype in tumor cells. However, we have recently demonstrated in colorectal cancer (CRC) that EGFR inhibition in tumor cells does not lead to tumor regression which is a very surprising and unexpected finding. In contrast, EGFR inhibition in myeloid cells reduced CRC growth indicating that EGFR is tumorigenic when expressed in tumor-associated myeloid cells. It is presently unknown how EGFR expression is upregulated in tumor-associated myeloid cells and whether factors secreted by tumor cells are important in this process.
Objectives: We aim to investigate the metabolic changes induced by EGFR inhibition in tumor cells and whether these changes can modulate myeloid cells in the tumor stroma. We also intend to validate metabolic phenotypes in human cancer material.
Expected Results: We expect to gain information on the metabolic state of EGFR inhibited CRC and how this affects the immune infiltrate in CRC.