Céline Vallot

Deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms often occurs in cancer, with recurrent mutations of epigenetic players or massive redistribution of epigenetic marks throughout the cancer cell genome. Given the dynamic nature of epigenetic changes, epigenome rewiring might give cancer cells the opportunity to delineate a rapidly evolving malignant transcriptional program, more plastic than through the acquisition of genetic events. Upon cancer treatment, this inherent plasticity may allow epigenetic alterations to be easily acquired and play a key role in the emergence of resistant phenotypes. Yet the contribution of epigenetic plasticity to the biology of cancer cells remains unclear, and means to target it rather unspecific and inefficient. The research projects we are leading in the group aim at grasping the dynamics of epigenetic deregulation in cancer cells during two time frames in triple-negative breast cancer :

• Response to chemotherapy and resistance to treatment, using patient-derived xenografts and patient samples
• Tumor progression, using mouse models of breast tumorigenesis and patient samples

Our objective is to decipher mechanisms of non-genetic tumor evolution, with a long-term perspective to enhance response to cancer treatment.