Targeting the intra-metastatic microbiome in colorectal cancer (P10)

• Subject Area: Immunology ; Gastroenterology ; Medical Microbiology and Mycology, Hygiene, Molecular Infection Biology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540805631

Microbial induced signaling in circulation tumor cells (CTCs) primes the pre-metastatic niche in target organs. The project will explore the molecular mechanisms regulating bacterial uptake at the primary tumor site and their subsequent release in the liver, utilizing murine models of metastatic CRC. Additionally, metastasis-associated microbiomes in human liver metastases across various CMS subtypes will be analyzed. Advanced techniques, including CyTOF and mass cytometry imaging, will elucidate the connections between the metastasis-associated microbiome, microbial-derived signals and metastasis development.

• 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: Professor Bertram Bengsch, Ph.D.; Reinhild Feuerstein, Ph.D.