Inaugural Lecture | Sara Gallini | Uncovering tumor suppression mechanisms through in vivo two-photon imaging
Event details
| Date | 16.09.2025 |
| Hour | 17:15 › 19:00 |
| Speaker | Sara Gallini |
| Location | |
| Category | Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture |
| Event Language | English |
Uncovering tumor suppression mechanisms through in vivo two-photon imaging
Program
17:15 - 17:25 Welcome by Andy Oates, Dean SV and introduction by Elisa Oriccho, ISREC Director
17:25 - 18:00 Lecture by Sara Gallini: Uncovering tumor suppression mechanisms through in vivo two-photon imaging
18:00 - 18:15 Q & A
18:15 - 18:25 Closure by Andy Oates
18:25 - 19:00 Apéritif
Location: SV1717 and retransmission to Campus Biotech (upon request)
Registration by September 9, 2025
Abstract
Tissues often harbor cancer-associated mutations, yet tumors rarely form, suggesting natural defense mechanisms limit oncogenic cell expansion. The skin epithelium, a physiologically mosaic tissue of healthy and mutant cells, offers a powerful and accessible model to study these dynamics in real time. Cell competition, in which fitter cells eliminate less fit neighbors, maintains homeostasis but can be subverted by oncogenic mutations. In Squamous Cell Carcinomas, RAS, one of the most mutated oncogenes in human cancer, increases mutant cell fitness and drives oncogenic growth. However, this outcome is not inevitable. Both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms influence whether mutant cells are eliminated or persist.
Our research combines in vivo two-photon imaging with molecular and spatial profiling to uncover how healthy cells suppress oncogenic growth. By identifying key regulators, we aim to enhance natural tumor suppression and develop new strategies for cancer prevention.
Bio
Sara Gallini is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at EPFL’s School of Life Sciences and the ISREC Institute. She earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the University of Bologna and completed her Ph.D. at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan, revealing a novel role for Aurora-A kinase and the junctional protein Afadin during cell division. As a postdoc in Valentina Greco’s lab at Yale University, she leveraged intravital imaging to study how wound repair influences tumor initiation. At EPFL, her lab investigates how healthy and oncogenic cells interact in vivo to uncover mechanisms that preserve tissue homeostasis and prevent cancer.
Program
17:15 - 17:25 Welcome by Andy Oates, Dean SV and introduction by Elisa Oriccho, ISREC Director
17:25 - 18:00 Lecture by Sara Gallini: Uncovering tumor suppression mechanisms through in vivo two-photon imaging
18:00 - 18:15 Q & A
18:15 - 18:25 Closure by Andy Oates
18:25 - 19:00 Apéritif
Location: SV1717 and retransmission to Campus Biotech (upon request)
Registration by September 9, 2025
Abstract
Tissues often harbor cancer-associated mutations, yet tumors rarely form, suggesting natural defense mechanisms limit oncogenic cell expansion. The skin epithelium, a physiologically mosaic tissue of healthy and mutant cells, offers a powerful and accessible model to study these dynamics in real time. Cell competition, in which fitter cells eliminate less fit neighbors, maintains homeostasis but can be subverted by oncogenic mutations. In Squamous Cell Carcinomas, RAS, one of the most mutated oncogenes in human cancer, increases mutant cell fitness and drives oncogenic growth. However, this outcome is not inevitable. Both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms influence whether mutant cells are eliminated or persist.
Our research combines in vivo two-photon imaging with molecular and spatial profiling to uncover how healthy cells suppress oncogenic growth. By identifying key regulators, we aim to enhance natural tumor suppression and develop new strategies for cancer prevention.
Bio
Sara Gallini is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at EPFL’s School of Life Sciences and the ISREC Institute. She earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the University of Bologna and completed her Ph.D. at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan, revealing a novel role for Aurora-A kinase and the junctional protein Afadin during cell division. As a postdoc in Valentina Greco’s lab at Yale University, she leveraged intravital imaging to study how wound repair influences tumor initiation. At EPFL, her lab investigates how healthy and oncogenic cells interact in vivo to uncover mechanisms that preserve tissue homeostasis and prevent cancer.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Registration required
Organizer
- SV Deanship
ISREC Institute