IFNy-induced cell state transition in melanoma (A13)

• Subject Area: Dermatology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 424228829

Paschen uncovered that interferon-γ (IFNγ) induces an epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT)-like cell state transition leading to drug resistance, and that this is connected to expression of the stress-induced transcription factor ATF4. Her project aims to understand how ATF4 leads to EMT-like dedifferentiation by unravelling the ATF4-controlled gene network to identify drugga-ble targets. Her approach will involve chemical modulation and single cell analyses to monitor dynamics and heterogeneity of the IFNy-induced cell state. Her work aims to identify new ther-apeutic targets to improve the efficacy of future tumour immunotherapies.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1430: Molecular Mechanisms of Cell State Transitions
• Applicant Institution: Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Annette Paschen