Research interests

The micrometastasis program

• Detection and selection of circulating tumour cells (micrometastases) in bone marrow from patients with osteosarcoma, cutaneous melanoma, uveal melanoma, non small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer
• Immunological and molecular characterization of selected micrometastatic cancer cells
• Evaluation of micrometastatic cell detection asparameter for monitoring therapeutic effects
• Comparison of gene expression profiles in primary, micrometastatic and metastatic material from clinical breast cancer and melanoma samples

Biology of cancer metastasis and experimental therapy:

• Development of animal models mimicking human cancer growth and metastasis formation, and studies of tissue-preferenced human tumor metastasis
• Studies of molecular mechanisms involved inimmunotoxin-induced cell death, and preclinical evaluation of systemic and locally administered immunotoxin therapy
• Preclinical evaluation of peptide and fattyacid conjugated chemotherapeutic agents

Clinical studies:

• Clinical phase I trial with Pseudomonas Exotoxin targeted against the epithelial antigene EpCam is presently ongoing in patients with metastatic cancer.