Our work focuses on studying the tumor microenvironment across different types of cancer, with particular emphasis on how interactions between tumor cells and the immune system determine the outcome of the metastatic process. In this context, we have recently demonstrated that galectin-1 (Gal-1) is a key factor in promoting lung metastasis. Accordingly, blocking galectin-1-glycan interactions within the tumor microenvironment could be considered an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of metastatic cancer.
In addition, we investigate the ability of steroid hormones to regulate the tumor microenvironment and their impact on tumor immune-evasion mechanisms. We are also interested in elucidating how different populations of immune cells with tolerogenic activity can modulate the metastatic process. The knowledge generated by our work will lay the foundation for the development of a third generation of antitumor drugs aimed at blocking tumor immune evasion, therapy resistance, and metastasis.