Cancer Network Biology: Experimental Approaches Towards Precision Medicine

The course will address the biological networks of cancer cells, specifically focusing on: the molecular basis of cancer development; the role of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, epigenetics, cell metabolism, angiogenesis and cell stemness in carcinogenesis; the cell-to-cell communication between cancer and neighboring cells in the microenvironment (i.e., immune cells, adipocytes, fibroblasts) as well as the role of tumor-derived exosomes in this conversation; the metabolic rewiring of cancer cells; the canonical and non-canonical cell deaths involved in the activity of anticancer compounds. The role of the biological features of cancer cells as biotargets for novel therapeutic approaches in terms of precision medicine will be discussed.