Drs Meltem Yildirim has been awarded the Mosaic 2.0 Grant for research on the role of inflammation in TP53-mutant cancer evolution, with the invaluable support and guidance of Dr Mathijs Sanders and Prof Dr Marc Raaijmakers.
The TP53-mutant in (pre)leukemia
Inflammation is a well-established hallmark of cancer, contributing to both its initiation and progression by fostering a tumor-permissive microenvironment. This is particularly evident in hematologic malignancies such as leukemia, where an inflamed bone marrow niche supports malignant transformation and growth.
Cell-extrinsic factors derived from the inflamed tumor microenvironment fuel cancer evolution by promoting the expansion of premalignant cells. Among the genetic mutations that drive premalignancy, mutations in the TP53 gene are especially prominent, which is a phenomenon increasingly observed in aging human tissues. These mutations are associated with chronic inflammation and correlate with poor patient survival.
Supported by the Mosaic Grant, this research will facilitate an in-depth investigation of TP53-mutant (pre-)malignancies, aiming to elucidate how the interplay between genetic mutations and cell-extrinsic factors originating from an inflamed microenvironment drives cancer evolution.
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