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Medical and health sciences
- Cancer biology
Using CRISPR-mediated disruption of tumor suppressor genes in Xenopus tropicalis, penetrant and fast models for soft tissue cancers, e.g. desmoid tumors and liposarcomas, have been obtained. While we have evidence that the immune system of the frog can be activated to cause desmoid tumor regression, we have no clear insight in how this is mediated. This is largely due to the absence of suitable markers for the different immune cell populations. Therefore, single-cell transcriptomics on spleens will be employed to uncover suitable immune cell markers. This is crucial for expanding our understanding of diverse immune cell populations within our cancer models. We will investigate the presence of these cell populations via three-dimensional visualization in cleared tumor tissues via light sheet microscopy. Novel therapeutic targets that potentially engage the immune system against the tumors will be investigated in our models.