Prolonged dysregulated inflammatory conditions favor not only carcinogenesis but also
local infiltration and metastasis of malignantly modified cells and counteract the
development of efficient antitumor immunity. Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT)
now takes centre stage as the convergence point between inflammation and the
progression of degenerative fibrotic diseases and cancer. EMT is a crucial process during
development and this cellular process is characterized by the loss of cell polarity,
downregulation of epithelial markers and gain of mesenchymal markers. The reactivation
in adult tissue may be regarded as a physiological attempt to control inflammatory
responses and to ‘heal’ damaged tissue. This research project aims at a better
understanding of how the interplay between EMT and inflammation drives malignant
cancer progression. To this purpose we will use different EMT cancer mouse models and
will analyze in detail the influence of the immune system and inflammation on processes
as invasion, migration and metastasis of tumour cells.