PNavarro LAB

Targeting cancer

OUR GOAL

Our group has more than 20 years of experience in the study of MOLECULAR MECHANISMS of disease, with particular emphasis in CANCER.

Our final goal is to identify novel molecular targets in order to generate better strategies for cancer treatment and diagnosis.

Research

What we do

Preclincial Mouse Models

Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), orthotopic pancreatic implants in immunocompetent models, xenografts

Molecular & Cellular Biology

Tumor organoids and cell lines: in vitro functional assays to determine proliferation, migration, invasion, anchorage independent growth, drug cytotoxicity, cell viability, apoptosis, etc.

Immunohistochemistry

We have longlast experience in immunostaining of human and mouse tissue, actively collaborating with the Pathology Service at Hospital del Mar to evaluate stainings.

High Throughput Analyses

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatic analyses to decipher the molecular mechanisms responsible of the phenotypes under study.

Cutting-edge Collaborations

Computational drug desing & nanomedicine

Milestones

1999

Beginning

Pilar Navarro starts a new journey leading her own research group based at Hospital del Mar and IMIM.

2004

Molecular mechanism linking tPA and pancreatic cancer progression

Description in Am J Pathol of a molecular mechanism by which tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) drives proliferation and invasion in pancreatic cancer independently of its proteolytic activity, involving AnxA2 and EGFR.

2005

Role of tPA in Alzheimer Disease

Our work published in Embo Journal described tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) as the protein responsible of mediating b-amyloid neuron toxicity in seniles plaques of Alzheimer Disease patients.

2007

The group is settled at PRBB

2009

Gal-1 as a new receptor for tPA in pancreatic cancer

Identification of Gal-1 as a new receptor for tissue plasminogen activator in Gastroenterology, which represents a new molecular mechanism explaining pancreatic cancer proliferation, migration and invasion.

2011

CPEB4 as a key protein dictating tumor cell reprogramming

Our group together with Raúl Mendez identified in Nature Medicine how CPEB4, an RNA binding protein, could be regulating tumor cell reprogramming by controling expression of hundreds of RNAs driving tumor progression.

2014/2018

Gal-1 as a pancreatic cancer target

Our work published in Cancer Research and PNAS characterizes Gal-1 as a possible target in pancreatic cancer, as lack of this protein in preclinical pancreatic cancer models result in enhanced tumor survival due to reduced proliferation, metastasis formation and importantly immune surveillance recovery.

2018