Sanger scientists join global Cancer Grand Challenge teams
Announced today (4 March), the teams have been selected to receive a Cancer Grand Challenges award of up to $25m per team, over approximately five years.
Congratulations also go to Dr Jyoti Nangalia, Sanger Institute Group Leader and Team Lead for FORTESSA, who led an international team to the finalist stage for the cancer avoidance challenge.
Cancer Grand Challenges is a global research initiative, co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US, that identifies the toughest challenges in cancer research. With awards of up to $25 million, it empowers a global community of world-class, interdisciplinary research teams to come together and take them on.
Sanger Institute Group Leader, Dr Inigo Martincorena joins the Cancer Grand Challenges CAUSE team, led by University of California San Diego’s Ludmil Alexandrov. The team will take on the mechanisms driving mutational signatures challenge.
Cancer results from mutations occurring in our cells over time. Some mutations are caused by internal processes and others by exposure to external carcinogens in our daily lives. Each of these processes elicits a specific pattern of mutations, known as mutational signatures. The sequencing of tens of thousands of cancer genomes, as well as normal tissues, has led to the identification of an increasing number of these signatures. To date, there have been over 100 distinct mutational signatures identified. However, the causes and mechanisms behind most signatures remain unknown.
Team CAUSE aims to understand the origin of these mutational signatures by systematically characterising DNA adducts – pieces of DNA covalently bonded to a cancer-causing chemical. The team will then explore their underlying mutagenic mechanisms – endogenous processes, geography-linked exposures and chemotherapy-induced damage – to provide actionable insights for cancer prevention and treatment.
“I am excited to participate in this challenge with such an excellent international team. It is remarkable that we still do not know the causes and molecular mechanisms responsible for most cancer-driving mutations. We hope that understanding them could lead to new ways of preventing cancer.”
Dr Inigo Martincorena, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute
Dr Omer Bayraktar, Sanger Institute Group Leader joins the Cancer Grand Challenges InteroCANCEption team, led by the Francis Crick Institute’s Leanne Li. The team will take on the nervous system and cancer challenge.
Nerves are abundantly present in many different types of cancers across the body. However, whether the nervous system promotes or inhibits tumour formation is not clear. Over the past decade, a new research area called cancer neuroscience has developed to understand how nerves interact with cancer cells. We are now beginning to understand that in response to signals released by tumours, peripheral nerves can branch and communicate with them to promote cancer progression and immune dysfunction. Despite these insights, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly defined.
Team InteroCANCEption will investigate the role of interoception – the brain–nervous system–tumour axis – in allowing the brain to monitor tumour formation and influence progression, to develop neural modulation strategies and test if altering brain activity can impact the tumour, immune responses, or symptom burden.
“I am thrilled to join the InteroCANCEption team to discover how the nervous system interacts with tumours across the body. Our multi-disciplinary team has ambitious goals to combine diverse cancer models, cell atlassing methods and neuromodulation technologies towards this goal. Our work will show whether harnessing the nervous system is a viable approach to halt tumour progression.”
Dr Omer Bayraktar, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute
“Cancer Grand Challenges research and breakthroughs are made possible through our co-founders and visionary partners. Thanks to their incredible $125 million funding this year, we’re able to unite exceptional research teams from across the globe to tackle the most complex problems in cancer today. Together, we’re creating opportunities for bold team science that could redefine what’s possible for people affected by cancer.”
Dr David Scott, Director of Cancer Grand Challenges
More information
The CAUSE team unites clinicians, advocates and scientists with expertise in chemistry, prevention, AI, public-health, region-specific environmental exposures and more, across six institutions across three countries. This team is funded by Cancer Research UK, the National Cancer Institute and KWF Dutch Cancer Society through Cancer Grand Challenges.
The InteroCANCEption team unites clinicians, advocates and scientists with expertise in immunology, interoception, neuroscience and more, across eight institutions across four countries. This team is funded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute through Cancer Grand Challenges.
They are two of five new teams that were announced today, representing a total investment of $125m to tackle some of the toughest challenges in cancer research.
The funded teams span nine countries, 34 institutions and unite more than 42 investigators and researchers. More information at: New Teams Announcement | Cancer Grand Challenges
