Anna Rita Cantelmo has a passion for vascular biology and strives to conduct research at the highest level. This ambition led her to leave Italy to go to Belgium and then France to decipher the biology of cells. that line our blood vessels. Based on their function and dysfunction, she researches the mechanisms through which these cells enable the development of certain diseases such as cancer or arteriosclerosis. Thanks to Atip Avenir funding in 2021, the company has already identified the first important biological pathways.
THE Endothelial cells that line our vessels are capable of changing themselves to acquire new properties and perform new functions. This transition process, called “endothelial-mesenchymal”, is normal and physiological during embryonic life, but not after birth: it leads to a change in the properties of the vessels and can then promote certain diseases. In the case of cancer, for example, it facilitates the spread of metastases in the body from an existing primary tumor because it allows cancer cells to enter the bloodstream by making the endothelial barrier more permeable. However, therapeutic approaches that target the formation of metastases are still limited.
Anna Rita Cantelmo and her team are currently devoting a large part of their research work to this question. “ While most studies have focused on targeting the invasive properties of malignant cells, I am looking for new ways to treat metastases by targeting endothelial cells. », explains the researcher. Thanks to the Atip Avenir funding received for this project in 2021, she recruited a postdoctoral fellow and a research engineer, forming a rapidly growing team: “ My team is very committed, just like meshe congratulates herself. It is a very stimulating working atmosphere in which we can carry out original explorations to better contribute to the understanding of vascular biology. Receiving this prestigious funding confirms my expertise and gives credibility to my research topic. This allows me to expand my network and create new collaborations. It’s stressful because as a team leader I have to bear a lot of responsibility, but it’s also what I’ve always wanted. »
From Lombardy to Hauts-de-France
Using studies of cells in culture, the team has already identified players involved in signaling pathways involved in the control of calcium and cellular metabolism, the deregulation of which causes the vessel wall to become looser and more permeable. This initial data enabled the researcher to extend her funding until July 2026.” This allows us to confirm our results and expand our research field. », says Anna Rita Cantelmo happily. She would like to first validate these results in vivo in animal models and on tissue samples from patients. This step is important because, for now, “ the implications of transformation endothelial in the spread of all types of solid tumors is the subject of Controversies in the scientific community “, she specifies. This work could then serve as a basis for research into other diseases: “ Arteriosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases also cause the vascular wall to malfunction. We also want to investigate the specific cellular mechanisms that promote this development. »
It must be said that vascular biology has always been at the center of her concerns: she completed her doctorate on this topic in Italy. This budding passion gave rise to his ambition to see bigger: “ I realized that the level of research and opportunities offered to researchers in my country were inadequate. » She therefore initially settled in Belgium to work with Peter Carmeliet on the metabolism of tumor endothelial cells. Then the opportunity to obtain financing that would allow her to become independent led her to settle in Lille, where she now works in the Inserm unit under the direction of Bart Staels. “ Having my own research team corresponds exactly to what I was looking for: a certain flexibility in working methodology and the opportunity to apply what I have learned in different pathological contexts. This truly fulfills my desire to investigate complex and difficult problems and contribute to the body of knowledge. »
Anna Rita Cantelmo leads a Unity team Nuclear receptors, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases (Unit 1011 Inserm/Institut Pasteur/University of Lille/Lille University Hospital), at the Institut Pasteur in Lille.
Author: CG
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