Abstract

During the development of colorectal cancer, oncogenic mutations transform a hierarchically organized and homeostatic epithelium into invasive cancer tissue lacking visible organization. We use a combination of single cell methods, organoids and modelling to decipher how oncogenic mutations impinge on the signaling pathways that organize the tissue hierarchies and cellular trajectories, and how drugs reroute cells into different phenotypes.

Bio sketch

Nils Blüthgen studied Physics in Heidelberg and Berlin, obtained his PhD in theoretical biophysics from Humboldt University in Berlin. He joined the Manchester Center for Interdisciplinary Systems Biology in Manchester, UK, before he became group leader and professor at Charite and Humboldt University in Berlin. His research focuses on signaling and cancer, combining quantitative and single cell methods and computational modeling.