Established on March 2023, the CGE Lab is focused on understanding the biology of copy number alterations (CNAs), large scale changes in the genome of cancer cells. By using state-of-the-art genome engineering approaches, we want to dissect the mechanistic basis by which CNAs affect cancer biology. Our lab is currently focused on the role of CNAs on immune evasion and therapy resistance.
Research
Our group studies the function of large-scale chromosomal changes known as copy number alterations (CNAs). We combine state of the art genome engineering strategies with in vivo models of cancer to uncover the mechanisms by which CNAs enable cancer cells to propagate and resist therapies. We are particularly interested in the role of these alterations in immune surveillance, tumor heterogeneity, and cancer genome evolution. Our long-term goal is to understand the complex biology of CNAs to identify new therapeutic strategies that target cells with these chromosomal aberrations.
Cancers arise through genetic and epigenetic alterations that drive the transformation of single cells into malignant tumors. Among the most frequent genetic changes observed in cancer we find copy number alterations (CNAs). As their name imply, CNAs change how many copies of specific regions of DNA a cancer cell has. Importantly, some CNAs are associated with poor clinical outcomes, yet we still do not know how they change the properties of cancer cells. In order to understand the function of CNAs, our lab combines in vivomodels of cancer with MACHETE, a new approach that allows engineering CNAs.
Our previous work focused on studying the co-deletion of a cluster of 17 type I interferons linked to the tumor suppressor genes CDKN2A/B. By using MACHETE, we showed that combined loss of the interferon cluster and tumor suppressors led to immune evasion, metastasis, and reduced response to immunotherapy compared to CDKN2A/B-only deletions (Barriga, Tsanov, et al, Nature Cancer, 2022). This study illustrates the complex biology of CNAs, and the need of precise modeling to elucidate the biological consequences of these alterations. From a broader perspective, CNAs have a unique operational logic rooted on changes of gene dosage and DNA topology, which our group will explore in depth.
Team
Francisco "Pancho" Barriga
Group Leader
Born in the US, Pancho grew up in Santiago de Chile, where he got his Biochemistry degree in the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. He then did his PhD at IRB Barcelona with Eduard Batlle and his postdoc at MSKCC with Scott Lowe. He leads the CGE Lab at VHIO. Pancho is huge fan of genetics, but also dogs, cycling, reading, baking, and brewing.
Xieng Chen Wang
Lab Manager
Xieng completed his degree in Biology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and earned his master's degree in Translational Medicine from the Universitat de Barcelona (UB). He worked as a research technician at IDIBELL until March 2023 when he joined CGE Lab as a lab manager.
Dario Ruiz
Postdoc
Dario obtained his PhD in Biology at the National University of Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina), focusing on the characterization of microRNAs and development of RNA aptamers against B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He joined the Cancer Genome Engineering lab in September 2023, and his current research interests are to dissect how CNAs shape immune evasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Dario is also interested in engineering different large genomic deletions to explore their role in myelodysplastic syndrome.
Sofia Calpe
PhD student
Sofia joined the lab as a PhD student after finishing her Master's in Genetics and Genomics at University of Barcelona (Spain). In line with her interests in cancer biology and genetics, she is working on engineering oncogenes in ecDNA to study the implication of this DNA topology in tumor metastasis and immune response. To do so, she takes advantage of genome engineering techniques, cell culture approaches and in vivo mouse models. Outside the lab, Sofia enjoys spending time in the nature and reading novels.
Matea Katić
PhD Student
After obtaining MS degree in Experimental Biology at the Faculty of Science (University of Zagreb, Croatia), Matea joined Cancer Genome Engineering lab as a PhD student. Her PhD project focuses on unraveling the fascinating biology behind oncogenes amplified on ecDNA, using both state of the art in vitro genome engineering and imaging techniques as well as in vivo cancer models. Outside of the academic atmosphere, Matea is still a true biologist and adores spending time with her cats.
Golsa Jahangiri
Technician
Golsa joined the lab in April 2023 as a dedicated research assistant after earning her MS degree in biomedicine from the University of Barcelona. As one of the pioneering members, she actively contributes to the establishment and organization of our laboratory facilities. Coming from her interest and passion in cancer biology, among the general lab tasks and assisting the ongoing projects, she leads a captivating project exploring the consequences of CNA acquisition order in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In addition to her research pursuits, she loves to spend her free time listening to music and cooking.
Claudia Yañez
PhD student
Claudia obtained her degree in Biology at University Autonomous of Madrid (UAM) and completed her Master's in biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biomedicine at University Autonomous of Barcelona (UAB). After working as a research assistant in Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) she joined the lab as a PhD student. In line with her interests in cancer biology and immunology, her PhD project focuses on exploring the role of CNAs in immune evasion, metastasis, and resistance to immunothepy in pancreatic cancer. Outside the lab Claudia enjoys spending time with friends, hiking, and listening to music.
CGE Lab Projects
Our lab is exploring CNA biology on the following research areas:
Understanding the role of CNAs as mechanisms of immune evasion.
Identifying the effect of CNAs in tumor heterogeneity.
Dissecting the contribution of CNAs in shaping cancer genome evolution.
Funding Sources
