Impact of vascular plasticity on therapy responses in CRC (P06)

• Subject Area: Gastroenterology ; Immunology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540805631

The matricellular protein SPARCL1 which is expressed preferentially in tumor vessel endothelial cells (TEC) of CRCs with a Th1-like TME, acts as angiocrine repressor of tumorigenesis by stabilizing vessels, inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor cell proliferation. Employing a vessel-specific knockout of SPARCL1 (SPARCL1ΔIECKO). The project will determine the impact of TEC plasticity on lipid metabolism and ferroptosis and their role for therapy response, including standard chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy and elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 417: Cellular Communication in the Stroma of Colorectal Cancer: From Pathophysiology to Clinical Translation
• Applicant Institution: Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Claudia Günther; Professorin Dr. Elisabeth Naschberger