This page is maintained by Cristina Muñoz-Pinedo, from the Preclinical and experimental research in thoracic tumors (PrETT) group, part of the Oncobell program at IDIBELL, Barcelona.
For a list of publications please check: ResearcherID or search Pubmed (Munoz-Pinedo) for the most recent ones.
Research lines:
• Characterisation of immune-tumour-stroma connections in thoracic tumours to improve therapeutic approaches.
• Metabolic vulnerabilities of lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma.
• Molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and other forms of cell death induced by metabolic challenges and ischaemia.
Current research topics:
– Molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and other forms of cell death induced by glucose deprivation.
Glucose deprivation induces apoptosis (‘controlled’ cell death) but it can also induce necrosis. We are currently studying the mechanisms of these forms of cell death, with a special interest on a novel apoptotic cell death pathway which could be engaged in tumor cells with a blockade of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis (Caro-Maldonado et al, CDD 2010). We are also interested in finding the molecular mechanism of ischemic cell death that occurs in the brain during stroke as well as in heart during pathological ischemia.
– Glucose analogs for sarcoma treatment.
Tumor cells are more dependent on glycolysis than non transformed cells. For this reason, they are more sensitive to non metabolizable glucose analogs. We are studying the use of 2-deoxyglucose as an antitumor drug against soft tissue sarcoma (Ramirez-Peinado et al, Oncogene 2011).
– Role of metabolic stress signaling in modulation of cell death.
We are analyzing how glucose metabolism interferes with chemotherapy. Glucose metabolism and starvation regulate stress signaling pathways that modulate autophagy, stability of apoptotic proteins, cell cycle arrest and ATP production, and this would play a role in sensitivity to chemotherapy.
– Evolution of cell death. Identification of novel putative oncogenes and tumor suppressors by analysis of co-evolution with apoptotic proteins.
In collaboration with Toni Gabaldón (CRG, Barcelona) we are studying the evolution of the machinery of apoptosis, with the aim to understand the origins of cell death. In order to provide students and scientists with tools to study evolution of apoptotic proteins, we have set up the DeathBase (http://www.deathbase.org).
Team:
Cristina Muñoz-Pinedo, Principal Investigator
Fedra Luciano Mateo, Postdoctoral researcher
Miguel Hernández Madrigal, PhD student (predoc)
Felipe Jiménez Hernández, PhD student (predoc)
Francesca Favaro, PhD student (predoc)
Joaquim Moreno Caceres, Project Manager
* If you’re interested in a master, PhD or postdoctoral position in our lab, please contact me.
Apoptosis and cell death 