The research group focuses on Genomic Regulation for Precision Cancer Medicine with particular emphasis on prostate cancer, and it is part of the Prostate Cancer Research Centre (PCRC).
Research focus and goals
The optimal treatment for intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer (PC) patients is still unknown. Many patients with slow growing tumors would not require treatment but are overtreated because PSA screening is highly sensitive. The challenge in distinguishing these tumors lies in the unresolved complexity of the PC multifocality, metastatic potential, and tumor microenvironment.
Most studies assessing the extent of PC molecular heterogeneity and metastatic potential have characterised primary tumors focusing on DNA sequencing and genomic alterations using bulk methods. Biomarkers derived from these studies have not demonstrated clinically meaningful and superior predictive abilities compared to established clinico-pathological stratification systems. The research group uses single cell technology and examines cell composition from bulk tissue gene expression data to retrieve prognostic gene signatures associated with aggressive tumor behaviour.
In addition the group is also researching post androgen receptor signalling pathways inhibition: see more at the post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) webpage.
Dr Alfonso Urbanucci is also affiliated with the Institute for Cancer Research at the Oslo University Hospital and he is Associate Investigator at the Norwegian Centre for Molecular Medicine (NCMM) EMBL Partnership together with FIMM and other nordic nodes.
The focus of the research in Oslo is on radiosensistizers and prostate cancer: see Dr Urbanucci Lab web page in Oslo
Dr Urbanucci is also Senior research fellow at the Tampere Institute for Advanced Study: see an introductory illustrative video about Dr Urbanucci’s research