Professor Vincent Castronovo, Metastasis Research Laboratory, University of Liège, BELGIUM

The Metastases Research Laboratory is one of the units of the Center for Experimental Cancer Research (CRCE) at the University of Liège. Vincent Castronovo is the scientific director of the center, which represents circa 100 people. The main interests of the ULG group are the molecular mechanisms of tumour invasion and metastases including tumour angiogenesis. One of the main projects is focused on the mechanisms of bone metastases formation. The MRL unit was the first laboratory to demonstrate that osteotropic cancer cells ectopically expressed bone matrix proteins such as bone sialoprotein and osteopontin. The molecular regulation of the expression of these proteins in osteotropic cancer is actively investigated at the transcriptional level. Other important areas of work are the role of histone deacetylases in cancer progression and angiogenesis, and the study of the involvement of galectins in tumour progression.

The group has expertise in cell biology, immunohistochemistry, immunocytology, protein chemistry and molecular biology. ULG has a unique tumour tissue bank with clinical follow up for human prostate and breast cancers that will be utilised in MetaBre.

Activities in MetaBre: collection of tissue samples; bone matrix proteins expression in osteotropic cancer; angiogenesis inhibition (in vitro and in vivo models); galectins, chemokines, study of adhesion, migration and chemoinvasion