Mesothelioma Evolution

Mesothelioma Evolution: Decyphering Druggable Somatic Alterations

Mesothelioma takes between 30 and 50 years to arise following exposure to asbestos. How a mesothelioma evolves over time and space, is unknown. Knowing this may reveal important molecular vulnerabilities that could serve as new future targets for therapy.

Our MEDUSA programme is focused on 1. understanding the evolution of mesothelioma, and in particular, identifying the universal gene deletions that occur early in the development of this cancer. 2. Developing functional genetic screening approaches targeted to the key evolutionary drivers of mesotheliomas, so as to uncover drug targeting strategies that might serve as the next generation of treatments for this aggressive cancer.

MEDUSA is a multidisciplinary collaboration involving our Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Genomics and Genetics, Health Sciences, and Cancer. External collaborating centres include the Crick Institute in London, and University of Western Australia in Brisbane.