IPA erhält internationales Kooperationsprojekt gefördert vom FWF und OTKA (Hungarian Scientific Research Fund).

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Enikö Kallay leitet den österreichischen Teil des Forschungsprojektes „Ca2+ Signale in BRAF-mutierten Tumoren: Resistenz und Kombinationstherapien“ in Kooperation mit Dr. Ágnes Enyedi, PhD, DSc, (Institut Molekulare Pharmakologie der Ungarischen Akademie der Wissenschaften). Weiterer Kooperationspartner ist Univ. Doz. Dr. Michael Grusch (Institut für Krebsforschung)

BRAF (v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog) is frequently mutated in melanomas and other solid tumours. The FWF-OTKA research project provides a unique opportunity to investigate the role of Ca²⁺ signaling in resistance against BRAF inhibition in melanoma and in colorectal cancer and hopefully will lead to the identification of novel efficient drug combinations. The Hungary-based principal investigator Dr. Agnes Enyedi will conduct the live cell imaging calcium transport assays at the Institute of Molecular Pharmacology of National Blood Center in Budapest. The Molecular Oncology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Science at the 2^nd Institute of Pathology of the Semmelweis University (led by Prof. Jozsef Timar) is going to perform the morphometric analysis of tissue distribution of the calcium transport system in malignant melanoma.

The group led by E. Kallay at the IPA will investigate the impact of Ca²⁺ signalling on migration and proliferation of BRAF mutant colon cancer cells. The comprehensive analysis of Ca²⁺ signalling components in resistant cells and tumour tissues may identify biomarkers that could predict response or indicate the appearance of therapeutic resistance. The proposed international collaboration will combine expertise from the fields of cell biology, pathology and preclinical cancer research that may lead to new combination therapies in the future.

We congratulate!