Our group focuses on the role of autophagy in cancer.

Projects include studies of autophagy in prostate cancer and melanoma, the role of mammalian ATG8 proteins in autophagy, and the effect of drug delivery nanoparticles on autophagy in malignant and non-malignant cells. We have a strong methodology on utilizing cargo-based, functional assays to investigate general autophagy as well as various types of selective autophagy.

In projects related to prostate cancer, our long-term goals are to:

- Decipher alterations in autophagic capacity during prostate cancer formation and progression by studying primary cells, models of cellular transformation, cell line models of prostate cancer progression, and ex vivo cultures of patient tissue at different stages of the disease 

- Define novel sets of genetic and molecular markers of autophagy in patient material

- Understand the function of autophagy during tumor microenvironment stress in prostate cancer

Major steps of autophagy: (i) phagophore expansion and closure (ii) autophagosome-lysosome fusion and (iii) degradation and recycling of the sequestered material, e.g. proteins (blue), lipids (red) and organelles like mitochondria (brown).

The group "on tour" in September 2022. Photo taken at the 5th Nordic Autophagy Society Conference in Copenhagen.

From left to right: Juncal, Julia, Nikolai, Christina and Natalie

(Not present: Elena Sofie Cao)