Group co-leader: Isabel Álvarez, M.D.

Donostialdea IHO E-mail isabelmanuela.alvarezlopez@osakidetza.eus

Group co-leader: María Muñoz Caffarel, PhD.

Biodonostia HRI E-mail maria.caffarel@biodonostia.org

Strategic Objectives

• To contribute to the development of programmes which optimise a personalised approach to the treatment of breast cancer patients, taking into account the specific characteristics of both the tumour and the cancer patient.
• Clinical research: To continue and promote the creation of clinical trials to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, and more specifically studies into new drugs.
• Developing translational research programmes, either as independent studies or as parallel studies associated to clinical trials. The objective is to develop and implement new therapeutic strategies and diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers with a view to optimising treatments adapted to each molecular subtype.
• Development of studies in the areas of epidemiology and the follow-up of breast cancer patients.

Main lines of research

• Characterising the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines and their receptors in remodelling of the tumour microenvironment and in the progression of breast cancer.
• Elucidating the role of pro-tumour inflammation in metastasis and the possible implications of blocking this signalling to improve immunotherapy response.
• Understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for measuring resistance to hormone therapies in luminal breast cancer, which represents more than 70% of cases diagnosed. Antioestrogens are the backbone of treatment for these patients and resistance to this therapy is an unsolved problem with high therapeutic impact.