p53 aggregation in cancer
​initiation and progression

We are investigating the role of p53 aggregation in cancer onset and progression. We exploit p53 aggregation for therapeutic intervention using peptide drugs, and are testing combinatorial regimens with traditional chemotherapy and other targeted agents

Interested in ReACp53?

Mutant p53 aggregation targeting in ovarian cancer. Soragni et al, Cancer Cell 2016, 29:90-103
Mutant/WT p53 & p73 aggregation targeting in blood cancer. Zeng, Soragni et al, 2016  Blood 2016, 128:3944

Tumor organoid screenings for functional precision medicine

We develop strategies to test drugs in 3D tumor organoid models in a fast, reliable, high-throughput, inexpensive manner. Requiring few tumor cells, we aim to extend our methods to test combination of chemotherapies or targeted therapies directly on primary tumors from patients' biopsies or surgical samples in order to personalize treatment.
Our most current work is focused on sarcoma, ovarian cancer, carcinoids as well as neurofibromas.

A simple high-throughput approach identifies actionable drug responses in patient-derived tumor organoids. Phan et al, Communications Biology, 25 Feb 2019

In the press: 

• Tumor ‘organoids’ may speed cancer treatment, Science News, 17 Dec 2018
• Tumor Organoids Hold Promise for Personalizing Cancer Therapy, The Scientist, 15 Jul 2019
• Can Patient-Derived Organoids Help Oncologists Make Treatment Decisions? Cancer Therapy Advisor, 17 Apr 2019

Protein aggregation in cancer

We are identifying which proteins tend to phase separate in different cancers, in which conditions this happens and design therapeutic peptides to target them for cancer therapy

Cancer prevention in tumor predisposition syndromes

We are investigating novel approaches to prevent cancer in hereditary genetic disorders that promote tumor formation in affected patients

Targeted tumor prevention in Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Soragni et al, Cancer Research 2017, 77(13 Suppl):Abstract #LB-169