Research Focus

Oncology & Hematology

Area of Research

The main focus of our research is surgical oncology and neuroblastoma in particular. Pediatric tumor disease is still life threatening and can already occur in neonates. Surgical, oncological and interdisciplinary approaches have improved the outcome in the past. Nevertheless, there is a need for identifying underlying mechanisms of tumor development and tumor cell migration that can lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches. The research interest of my group is focused on investigating the metastatic process and on understanding which cellular and genetic changes are involved in this process.

The molecular research of my group is driven by clinical questions. Our intention is to generate knowledge that can potentially be translated back to the clinic to have an impact on future treatment.

Approved Research Projects

• Isothermal microcalorimetry as rapid drug screening method in tissue slice culture of rare solid child hood tumors

Gros SJ, Holland-Cunz SG, Supuran CT, Braissant O. Personalized Treatment Response Assessment for Rare Childhood Tumors Using Microcalorimetry-Exemplified by Use of Carbonic Anhydrase IX and Aquaporin 1 Inhibitors. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Oct 9;20(20). pii: E4984. doi: 10.3390/ijms20204984.

• AQP1-driven migration of neuroblastoma cells

Huo Z, Lomora M, Kym U, Palivan C, Holland-Cunz S, Gros SJ. AQP1 is up-regulated by hypoxia and leads to increased cell water permeability, motility and migration in neuroblastoma. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Feb 11;9:605272

Pini N, Huo Z, Kym U, Holland-Cunz S, Gros SJ. AQP1-driven migration is independent of other known adverse factors but requires a hypoxic undifferentiated cell profile in neuroblastoma. Children 2021 Jan 8(1): 48

• Biophysical properties of migrating cells

Huo Z, Sa Santos M, Drenckhan A, Holland-Cunz S, Izbicki JR, Nash MA, Gros SJ. Metastatic esophageal carcinoma cells exhibit enhanced thermogenesis. Cells. 2021 May 16;10(5):1213

• Perfused 3D neuroblastoma tissue slice culture for preclinical drug response evaluation

Huo Z, Bilang R, Supuran CT, von der Weid N, Bruder E, Holland-Cunz S, Martin I, Muraro MG, Gros SJ. Preclinical evaluation of SLC-0111 in vitro and in the perfused bioreactor slice culture for neuroblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2022, 23(6), 3128;

• Hypoxia-targeted therapeutics for neuroblastoma

Huo Z, Bilang R, Supuran CT, von der Weid N, Bruder E, Holland-Cunz S, Martin I, Muraro MG, Gros SJ. Preclinical evaluation of SLC-0111 in vitro and in the perfused bioreactor slice culture for neuroblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2022, 23(6), 3128;

Collaborations

National Collaborations

• Department Biomedicine, Tissue Engineering, University of Basel
• Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Childrens` Hospital Basel
• Department of Pediatrics, University Childrens`Hospital Basel
• Department of Chemistry, University of Basel
• Paul-Scherrer-Institut (PSI), Villigen
• Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich
• Department of Biomedical Engineering, Microcalorimetry Unit University of Basel
• University Hospital Basel, University of Basel

International Collaborations

• Sezione di Scienze Farmaceutiche, NEUROFARBA Department, University of Florence, Italy
• Department of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover
• University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Department of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery, Department of Tumor Biology, Department of Pathology
• Division of Surgical Oncology/ MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics (MUIDSI)
• University of Missouri, Columbia
• Anticancer Inc./ Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, USA