ABSTRACT
Skin is one of the most regenerative organs in the body, constantly producing and shedding billions of cells each day. This ongoing turnover is driven by stem cells, which continuously regenerate the skin throughout our lifetime. However, as we age, these stem cells accumulate mutations, leading to a mosaic of cells in the skin, some of which carry mutations in genes associated with cancer, such as the Ras family oncogenes. Despite this genetic diversity, the skin typically functions normally and remains indistinguishable from healthy skin in most people. It remains unclear, however, how mutant stem cells—especially those with pre-cancerous mutations—are kept in check within healthy skin. Dr. Gallini’s previous research revealed an unexpected finding: skin injury alters the competitive dynamics between healthy, wild-type cells and oncogenic-mutant cells. Specifically, injury appears to give healthy stem cells a competitive advantage, allowing them to suppress the expansion of mutant cells and prevent tumor formation during the healing process.
Building on this discovery, the Gallini Lab seeks to explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate competition between oncogenic and wild-type stem cells in both injured and uninjured skin. Using two-photon imaging, the lab will track individual stem cells in live mice with mosaic skin over extended periods, observing their behavior in real-time. In addition, they will employ chemical and genetic manipulations of key signaling pathways, alongside single-cell transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, to uncover the molecular signatures that drive tumor suppression and maintain tissue homeostasis.
The outcomes of this research aim to identify novel therapeutic targets that can enhance the body’s endogenous defense mechanisms against tumor formation. These findings will have broad implications for both stem cell biology and cancer therapy, offering new strategies to manipulate stem cell competition, promote tissue regeneration, and prevent cancer.
BIO
Dr. Gallini received her B.S. and M.S. in Biotechnology and Medical Biotechnology from the University of Bologna, followed by a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the University of Milan. During her Ph.D. at the European Institute of Oncology in Dr. Mapelli’s group, she made significant contributions to understanding the mitotic spindle orientation functions of Aurora-A kinase and the actin-binding protein Afadin.
As a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Greco’s lab at Yale University, Dr. Gallini focused on uncovering the mechanisms that suppress skin cancer initiation during tissue injury and repair. Her work demonstrated how injury-induced changes in skin stem cell dynamics can prevent the expansion of oncogenic cells, offering new insights into tumor suppression.
In October 2024, Dr. Gallini began her independent lab at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where she continues to investigate the molecular and cellular processes underlying skin regeneration, tumor suppression, and stem cell behavior, with a particular emphasis on injury-induced changes in stem cell competition and tissue homeostasis.
For further information please contact the AGORA team.
