Anna Obenauf joins ADAPTMET to train the next generation of metastasis scientists
The IMP joins eleven prestigious European institutes in an EU-funded project aiming to train 15 young scientists in metastasis research over four years, with a funding of 4.4 million Euro. Led by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, the project marks the second round of funding under the European Union’s Innovative Training Networks (ITN) programme, part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, building on the success of the EVOMET ITN network.
Metastasis, the spread of cancer from its original site to other parts of the body, is responsible for approximately 90 percent of cancer-related deaths. As cancer cells colonise secondary environments, adaptation is crucial for their survival, making it one of the most important processes to dissect when studying cancer progression.
The European project ADAPTMET, coordinated by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) Barcelona, aims to boost research on metastasis with a dual focus: deepening our understanding of metastatic cancers to develop innovative and effective treatment strategies; and training the next generation of scientists in metastasis research through a multidisciplinary and intersectoral programme.
Anna Obenauf, Senior Group Leader at the IMP, will head the research focused on understanding how the immune system interacts with early metastatic cancer cells, exploring why some evade immunity while others are eliminated. By analysing cellular states, genetic factors, and biological mechanisms, the goal is to identify new therapeutic targets to enhance an immune response against metastatic tumours. One of the main contributions is the functional lineage tracing tool developed by the Obenauf’s lab: CaTCH – a powerful technique to trace and isolate cancer cells, and their new iteration CaTCHseq, which integrates single cell sequencing.
The project marks the second round of funding for the consortium’s work on metastasis research through the European Union’s Innovative Training Networks (ITN) programme, part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions. ADAPTMET builds on achievements of the earlier project EVOMET, which include the organisation of three scientific symposiums, seven high impact publications from trainees in journals including Nature, Nature Cell Biology, as well as Science Translational Medicine, along with several collaborations with academic and industry laboratories.
In Obenauf's lab, EVOMET has also given two PhD students, Guillem Estivill and Jingyi Shen, the opportunity to train in metastasis research by becoming part of the project’s international network. Shen joined the lab in a collaboration with Sebastian Carotta's group at Boehringer Ingelheim to investigate how triggering immunogenic cell death can enhance the body's ability to combat tumours: “Thanks to EVOMET, I collaborated with top cancer research groups and got the chance to develop my bioinformatics skills at the Vanharanta lab in Finland,” says Shen. “I truly found great opportunities for learning and connecting globally, reaching beyond just the network,” concludes Shen.
Guillem Estivill joined the Obenauf lab for his PhD, for which he employed CaTCH to study the mechanisms of immune evasion in metastatic cancer: “EVOMET has been a rewarding experience. I’ve found fruitful project collaborations with research experiences abroad, and built valuable connections with like-minded people,” says Estivill “All opportunities that became central for my PhD, and that will certainly pave the way for my future in science.”
The ADAPTMET consortium comprises thirteen institutions spanning across Spain, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden – encompassing top-tier academic, clinical, and industrial centres dedicated to cancer and metastasis research in Europe. Next to the IMP, these are the institutes IRB Barcelona, the Instituto de Investigación contra la Leucemia Josep Carreras, the Institute of Cancer Research-Royal Cancer Hospital, The Netherlands Cancer Institute Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (NKI), and the Consorci Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer; the universities Universite Libre de Bruxelles, University of Lunds, University of Helsinki; the companies Boehringer Ingelheim, Cancer State Therapeutics, and Intomics. The institutions will host and provide training for young researchers as part of the project.
Further Reading
Find out more about the research of Anna Obenauf’s lab
Full news item by the IRB