Research in our laboratory

The Casanova Acebes Lab focuses on understanding how innate immune cells behave, respond, and shape adaptive immunity in the tumor microenvironment. We are interested in the molecular and functional plasticity of innate immune cells in solid tumors, mainly focusing our efforts on lung, ovarian, and breast cancer.

Research in our laboratory

Innate immune cells activity relies onthe tissue in which they reside. This is mainly driven by the unique signals they receive in every tissue and in tumors. To decode those signals, and investigate the messages that innate immune cells receive, our projects focus on aspects related to innate immune dynamics, ontogeny, metabolic properties, and plasticity in different tumor micro environments. 

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News & Article

Lipid metabolism modulation in ovarian cancer

Lipid metabolism modulation in ovarian cancer

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has revolutionized cancer care yet is ineffective in most patients. Predicting which patients will respond to ICB and how to enhance efficacy are major challenges. ICB efficacy is dependent on the presence of functional T cells in tumors, which are impacted by macrophages.

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Training myeloid suppressive programs in cancer

Myeloid cells are the most abundant leukocyte population in solid tumors. In contrast to the heterogeneity found in tumoral macrophages (tM𝜑s), the diversity of short-lived lineages such as neutrophils (Neu), monocytes (Mo) and their progenitors, is only starting to be appreciated. Interestingly, growing evidence suggests that epigenetic reprogramming of myeloid cells upon exogenous or endogenous insults leads to an altered response to subsequent triggers, which can favor disease progression.

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