An AECC Talent - MSCA COFUND grant supports a study on the role of neutrophils in ovarian cancer

The research is carried out within the Accredited Research Group on Haemostasis, Thrombosis, Atherosclerosis, and Vascular Biology at IIS La Fe. It is based on the hypothesis that tumor cells may be exploiting an immune process known as NETosis-in which neutrophils release extracellular traps to capture pathogens-to aid their spread throughout the body. Elevated markers of this process have been observed in cancer patients, prompting further investigation.

One of the main challenges in this type of research is the lack of experimental models that preserve the cellular context of the tumor. To address this, Dr. Herreros is using a platform previously developed in Belgium, based on ex vivo cultures of patient-derived tumor tissue. This method maintains the architecture and microenvironment of the tumor outside the body.

The project aims to evaluate how these cultures respond to conventional and emerging therapies, analyze the cellular changes induced by treatments, and correlate these findings with the clinical evolution of the disease. The results could help identify new predictive markers of treatment response and support the development of more personalized therapeutic strategies.

Research background of Alejandro Herreros

Alejandro Herreros is an AECC Talent (MSCA COFUND) postdoctoral researcher in the Accredited Research Group on Haemostasis, Thrombosis, Atherosclerosis, and Vascular Biology at the La Fe Health Research Institute. He is a biomedical scientist with extensive experience in developing preclinical cancer models.

He spent five years at the General Hospital of Valencia establishing primary cultures from lung cancer patients to study different tumor cell populations. In 2018, he completed a research stay at George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), where he developed tumor models for lung cancer. He later received a junior postdoctoral fellowship to investigate predictive biomarkers in melanoma. In 2021, he moved to Belgium with an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship to contribute to the development of a tumor fragment-based platform designed to study treatment response in cancer.