SIGNALLING NETWORKS IN INFLAMMATION AND CANCER

The endothelium is a semipermeable barrier that regulates transfer of oxygen, endoand xenobiotics, as well as tumour and immune cell diapedesis. Progressing tumours are characterized by aberrant angiogenesis but are unexpectedly highly hypoxic. The consequence is dysfunctional tumour vasculature, which reduces perfusion of tumour tissue. We plan to study how extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) normalizes tumour vasculature, increases delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs into tumors, and enhances tumor immunity. A new link between SOD3 and NF-kappaB activation will be studied, with important consequences in cancer immunotherapy