In a small laboratory in the heart of Curie Institute In Paris, French chemist Raphaël Rodriguez works on what could become one of the most important medical breakthroughs in the fight against cancer. Although he may have failed his first year of medical school, Rodriguez has never abandoned his ambition to save lives. Today, he heads a team that discovered a weakness in biological mechanisms leading metastasisThe process by which cancer spreads through the body – responsible for almost 70% of cancer deaths.
Turn the immune system against metastases
Rodriguez’s search focuses on a specific group of cells in the immune system known as macrophages. Under normal conditions, these cells help protect the body by attacking harmful invaders. But in the presence of cancer, some macrophages undergo a transformation. According to Rodriguez, they are starting to “adopt a program that helps tumor cells migrate and invade new tissues”, effectively becoming accomplices in the propagation of cancer.
This transformation is not only behavioral, but metabolic. The team discovered that these Macrophages Pro-Tomor Move their internal processes in a way that supports the progression of cancer. This idea allowed Rodriguez and his colleagues to design a molecule which can interfere with this specific metabolic switch. By targeting these thug macrophages, the molecule strives to reverse their role in the support of metastases without damaging other healthy immune cells.
A new path in cancer treatment
Rodriguez has developed this molecule in collaboration with researchers in several disciplines, including chemistry, cell biology and immunology. Preclinical trials using mice showed that the molecule not only inhibits the transformation of macrophages but also slows down the development of metastatic tumors. This approach in several stages opens a path to treatments that are not content to fight the primary tumor but prevent cancer from propagating completely.
The implications of this work drew the attention of the main pharmaceutical groups and research institutions on the world. Rodriguez is now preparing for the next step: bring this molecule to clinical tests. Although this process is long and complex, its results have already aroused significant interest in the scientific community. His work is closely followed, especially since the fight against metastases remains one of the most urgent challenges of oncology.
From his laboratory to Curie InstituteOne of the main centers in Europe for cancer research, Rodriguez continues to refine its approach. He works alongside a multidisciplinary team determined to turn the trend on one of the most elusive and most deadly features in cancer.
