The MitoMove project
Cell motility is of critical importance for a wide range of physiological processes, such as the delamination of neural crest cells during development, the migration of immune cells to a distant site of infection, and wound closure and healing. Like many other vital processes, cell motility has been hijacked by cancer cells to enable the formation of metastases, a deadly condition.
From a purely fundamental and clinical perspective, it is important to elucidate the mechanisms of cell motility. Here, we propose an original research project aimed at describing how mitochondria—organelles classically associated with energy production—play non-canonical roles during cell migration.
Based on preliminary data showing that most mitochondria redistribute to the leading edge of migrating melanoma cells, we will investigate how mitochondria may be involved in motility (the MitoMove project). First, we will test whether mitochondrial dynamics (fission and fusion) are linked to motility. Next, we will determine how the intracellular trafficking of mitochondria along microtubules contributes to motility; finally, the consortium will examine various other mitochondrial characteristics, such as oxidative stress production and the relationship between mitochondrial age and migration.
Project leaders:
Gabriel ICHIM
Gabriel Ichim is a tenured researcher at INSERM and leads the “Cell Death and Oncogenesis” team at the Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon (CRCL) in France. After obtaining his PhD from Lyon 1 Université, he pursued postdoctoral research at the Beatson Institute in Glasgow, UK. In 2016, he established his research group at the CRCL, where he currently leads a multidisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians.
Research in his laboratory aims to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cell death in cancer in order to discover therapeutically exploitable vulnerabilities. His team investigates how apoptotic and non-apoptotic cell death pathways contribute to tumor progression, treatment resistance, and metastasis, using a combination of live-cell imaging, in vivo models, and systems biology approaches.
