XXVI FERO Grant – Dr. Francisco Barriga

Ovarian cancer patients lack effective therapeutic options. Ovarian cancer is a complex tumor at the cellular and genetic levels, about which there is limited biological understanding.

Dr. Francisco Barriga’s laboratory focuses on studying the genomic component of these tumors. Ovarian cancer cells are characterized by major alterations affecting the number and structure of the chromosomes within these cells. With the XXVI FERO Grant, Dr. Barriga’s group will study how these large-scale genetic alterations promote ovarian cancer aggressiveness, particularly its ability to evade the immune system and alter gene expression in tumor cells. To achieve this, they will use mouse genetic models that recreate ovarian cancer, combined with cutting-edge genomic engineering techniques they have developed and next-generation sequencing approaches.

Through this project, they hope to better understand the biology of ovarian cancer, focusing on major chromosomal alterations. With this knowledge, the objective is to discover new therapeutic targets for future development, thereby increasing the life expectancy of these patients.