SCIENCE publie la revue de la recherche de la Pr Petrova, Adjunct Scientist de la branche lausannoise du Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, sur les fonctions biologiques des vaisseaux lymphatiques. La Pr Petrova explique le contexte et l'impact de sa dernière publication.
What is this paper about?
The paper is a review about novel biological functions of lymphatic vessels.
How did you decide on this particular avenue of research?
Lymphatic vasculature complements function of blood vessels; its general functions in maintenance of plasma and tissue volume and immunosurveillance are well known. However, in the past 2-3 years studies from several groups, including ours, revealed several unexpected functions of organ- or tumor-specific lymphatic vessels. These include contribution of lymphatics to neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases, or role of lymphatics in systemic metastasis and response to anti-cancer therapies.
What context does your latest publication fit into and how does it add to that ?
Our review summarizes the latest progress in the field and defines future directions of research. I am especially excited about the emerging role of lymphatic vasculature as a route for inter-organ and organ-to-tumor communication, I hope that our review will spark the interest of scientists from other fields, such as immunology, vaccine development and bioengingeering. Their contribution will be vital for further progress!
What is the next step moving on from these findings, for you and your lab?
During past decades significant advances have been made in understanding local tumor microenvironment. It becomes increasingly clear that further progress depends on improved molecular knowledge of systemic communication between the tumor and different parts of the organism.Ongoing research in my group focuses on deciphering how lymphatic vessels link diet and gut microbiota with immune responses, cancer progression and responses to therapies.