Post by Prinses Máxima Centrum voor kinderoncologie

How cells communicate and develop is controlled by communication pathways. The so called 'Wnt signaling pathway' plays a central role in almost all childhood liver tumors. Researchers from the Princess Máxima Center's Peng group and Linköping University in Sweden used lab-grown patient-derived mini liver tumors and advanced genomic technologies to uncover how activation of the Wnt pathway can give rise to tumor cells with different features within a single tumor. Their findings contribute to better classification of these tumors and, in the future, more tailored treatments. Peng: ‘While our work focuses on a rare childhood liver cancer, the underlying principle is likely much broader. Learning how cells interpret the same genetic mutation in different ways may help us better understand tumor diversity across many forms of cancer and ultimately guide the development of more precise therapies.’ Linköpings universitet, Weng Chuan Peng, Claudio Cantù Oncode Accelerator, Stichting Kinderen Kankervrij (KiKa), Prinses Máxima Centrum Foundation (Kus van Kiki)