L-R: Dr. Carlo Bock, President of Fondation Cancer; Prof. Dr Tonie Van Dam, Vice-President of the University of Luxembourg; Dr Andreas Girod; Lucienne Thommes, Director of Fondation Cancer.;
Credit: Fondation Cancer
Yesterday, on 18 October 2017, Fondation Cancer handed over a cheque for €533,868 to researcher Dr. Andreas Girod from the University of Luxembourg, in support of his research on the cellular division of cancer cells.
In support of his research, Dr. Carlo Bock and Lucienne Thommes, President and Director of Fondation Cancer respectively, presented a check for €533,868 to Dr. Andreas Girod, in the presence of Prof. Dr. Tonie Van Dam, vice-rector of the University of Luxembourg. The research project, entitled "Mapping the interaction profile of microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) in time and space, during cell division in cancer (2MAP cancer)”, aims to understand the regulation of cell division of cancer cells.
In a healthy person, cell division is subject to strict regulation, strongly influenced by factors external to the individual cell. The cancer cells escape this regulation: they no longer react to external signals that control their growth and ignore checkpoints, which should prevent the division and survival of damaged cells.
The main goal of the project is therefore to understand how the regulation of cell division and the effects of different protein combinations on mitotic spindle formation and the correct division of genetic material on daughter cells work. Protein interactions are studied in cancer cell cultures using very modern microscopic techniques. In culture plates, the cells are grown side by side, allowing relatively easy microscopic analysis with high spatial resolution.
The amount donated by Fondation Cancer will help support this research.
