CRIS POST-DOC TALENT PROGRAMME 2021
Colon or bowel cancer is the most diagnosed form of cancer in Spain (43,500 cases per year) and the second highest cause of death from cancer (16,500 people a year) after lung cancer. It is a complex type of pathology, influenced by numerous environmental, hereditary, and lifestyle factors. In particular, the hereditary component is more important in bowel cancer than in other types of tumours. However, although some genetic alterations that may predispose an individual to this type of tumour are known, most of the hereditary factors that can lead to bowel cancer have yet to be discovered.
Project:
In this project, Dr Ceres Fernández will develop an ambitious strategy to identify a huge number of factors that predispose individuals to develop bowel cancer. To do this, she will use state-of-the-art techniques that allow her to conduct even a molecular analysis of individual cells, especially those with the greatest potential to develop tumours. The results of this project will provide invaluable information. On the one hand, it will allow researchers to design
a system to quantify the risk of developing bowel cancer for each individual, something of vital importance in prevention strategies. On the other hand, knowing risk factors will help find new mechanisms for developing more effective treatments against this aggressive type of cancer.