Edwards Group | Bone Oncology

Metastasis of cancers to bone

Cancer-induced bone disease is a characteristic feature of several types of cancer, including the hematological malignancy multiple myeloma, and other tumours that metastasise to bone such as breast, prostate and lung. In addition to the development of debilitating skeletal complications, the bone marrow provides a unique hospitable microenvironment, and once tumours become established in bone, they are largely unresponsive to treatment.

The overall goal of our research is to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to disease pathogenesis, and so identify and validate novel therapeutic approaches. Our focus is on the role of the tumour microenvironment and tumour-host interactions.

Major ThemeS

• Obesity, adipocytes and adipokines in tumour growth and cancer-induced bone disease
• Aging, senescence and dormancy in the tumour-bone microenvironment
• Metabolism in the prostate cancer-bone microenvironment
• Using microfluidics to study the tumour-bone microenvironment
• Circulating tumour cells in prostate cancer bone metastasis.