Targeting cancer complexity at origin and progression
Our research is focused on better understanding breast cancer initiation and, from acquired knowledge, to assess targeted prevention strategies. In parallel, we study pan-cancer vulnerabilities and the connection to a rare, lung metastatic disease, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM).
Group members
Principal investigator
Research assistant
PhD student
PhD student
PhD student
PhD student
Publications
NPJ Breast Cancer. 2023 May 12;9(1):37. doi: 10.1038/s41523-023-00546-x. ABSTRACT We assessed the PREDICT v 2.2 for prognosis of breast cancer patients with pathogenic germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants, using follow-up data from 5453 BRCA1/2 carriers from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA) and the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). PREDICT for estrogen […]
Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 May 22;51(9):4341-4362. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkad172. ABSTRACT BRCA1 mutations are associated with increased breast and ovarian cancer risk. BRCA1-mutant tumors are high-grade, recurrent, and often become resistant to standard therapies. Herein, we performed a targeted CRISPR-Cas9 screen and identified MEPCE, a methylphosphate capping enzyme, as a synthetic lethal interactor of BRCA1. Mechanistically, we […]
Cancer Discov. 2022 Dec 2;12(12):2930-2953. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0865. ABSTRACT Systematically investigating the scores of genes mutated in cancer and discerning disease drivers from inconsequential bystanders is a prerequisite for precision medicine but remains challenging. Here, we developed a somatic CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis screen to study 215 recurrent “long-tail” breast cancer genes, which revealed epigenetic regulation as a […]
Mol Cancer Ther. 2022 Jul 5;21(7):1246-1258. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0947. ABSTRACT Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are soft-tissue sarcomas that are the leading cause of mortality in patients with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Single chemotherapeutic agents have shown response rates ranging from 18% to 44% in clinical trials, so there is still a high medical need […]
Nat Commun. 2022 Apr 22;13(1):2200. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29885-2. ABSTRACT Preneoplastic mammary tissues from human female BRCA1 mutation carriers, or Brca1-mutant mice, display unexplained abnormalities in luminal differentiation. We now study the division characteristics of human mammary cells purified from female BRCA1 mutation carriers or non-carrier donors. We show primary BRCA1 mutant/+ cells exhibit defective BRCA1 localization, […]
Research Projects
The group works and collaborates to decipher the systems mechanisms of cancer development and progression, with the aim of developing more precise preventive and therapeutic approaches. The group combines in silico and wet-lab studies for the purpose of identifying cancer principles and vulnerabilities.
Collaborations
CIMBA – Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2
https://cimba.ccge.medschl.cam.ac.uk/
Lobular Breast Cancer
https://lobsterpot.eu/
BRCA1 breast cancer
Khokha Lab
https://medbio.utoronto.ca/faculty/khokha
Hakem Lab
https://medbio.utoronto.ca/faculty/hakem
Maxwell Lab
https://www.bcchr.ca/cmaxwell
Serra Lab
https://vhio.net/biosketch-violeta-serra/
Cancer biology
Schramek Lab
https://schramek.lunenfeld.ca/
Li Lab
https://lilab.smhs.gwu.edu/
Barcellos-Hoff Lab
https://barcelloshofflab.ucsf.edu/principal-investigator
Cancer genetics
De Cid Lab – GCAT
http://www.gcatbiobank.org/
LAM research
Johnson Lab – LAM UK
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/medicine/people/simon.johnson
Elżbieta Radzikowska
National Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Institute, Poland
Kwiatkowski Lab
https://www.kwiatkowskilab.org/
AELAM
https://www.aelam.org/
VHIR
https://vhir.vallhebron.com/en/research/pneumology
Molina Lab
https://idibell.cat/en/research/translational-medicine-area/cardiovascular-respiratory-and-systemic-diseases-and-cellular-aging-program/pneumology/
Campus IDIBELL
(L’Hospitalet del Llobregat)
Hospital Duran i Reynals, Gran Via 199,
L’Hospitalet del Llobregat,
Barcelona 08908
Tel. +34 93 260 7952
Campus IGTP-IJC
(Badalona)
Campus Can Ruti – IGTP – Building Muntanya,
Rd. Can Ruti, Camí de les escoles s/n,
Badalona, Barcelona 08916
Tel. +34 93 554 3069
Campus IDIBGI
(Girona)
Parc Hospitalari Martí i Julià de Salt, Dr. Castany s/n,
Salt, Girona 17190
Tel. +34 872 987 087
Menendez’s Lab