Research overview

Skin and oral mucosa tissues are stratified epithelia with an underlying connective tissue layer.

Our lab is particularly interested in dissecting the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in oral cancer formation and in understanding the regenerative potential of the oral mucosa, a tissue with rapid and scarless healing when compared to skin.

Our research interests span from basic discovery science to translational approaches in regenerative medicine and our lab research focuses in two main questions:

(1) understand how tumour genetic and subclonal heterogeneity regulates tumour microenvironment and metastasis in oral cancer;
(2) dissect the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in wound healing of the oral mucosa, a tissue with rapid and scarless healing when compared to skin.

To address these questions, our multidisciplinary lab combines leading edge tools in single-cell and spatial transcriptomics and proteomics, integrative genome analysis of tumour evolution, organoids culture, multiplex imaging analysis and application of artificial intelligence methods to map the cellular heterogeneity, behaviour and gene expression.

This research has broad translational applications: (1) understanding tumour heterogeneity and evolution will lead to improved strategies for early diagnosis and will help guide treatment decisions and patient management; (2) the identification of stromal signatures in scarless tissues will offer an exciting strategy to improve skin wound healing.