Despite the recent advances in cancer research and treatment strategies, “cancer remains one of the greatest challenges that medicine must overcome”, being the second leading cause of death worldwide, after heart disease. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) is a conserved protein known to interact with numerous other proteins within the cell and being involved in cell proliferation and survival. Its primary recognition so far has been as a tumor suppressor in the pituitary gland however recent findings have reported AIP in colorectal cancer and pancreatic carcinoma, as a promoter of tumourigenesis. The ability of the same protein to function both as a tumour suppressor and as an oncogene highlights the need for further research to understand the molecular mechanisms behind its role in cancer development and progression.
By using high-throughput techniques such as RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we aim to uncover the molecular mechanisms involving AIP and its interacting partners to better understand their role in cancer progression. This research will lead to the identification of a molecular signature within the AIP interactome that could serve as a diagnostic biomarker for cancer staging and/or a predictive biomarker for metastasis.
The project is led by Prof. Therese Hunter (Principal Investigator) and Prof. Gary J. Hunter, from the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Malta, with Dr Marita Vella employed as a researcher on the project. Dr Marita Vella and Ms Abigail Dalli (PhD candidate) have recently attended the MOSBRI 4th Scientific Meeting' held at the Louis Pasteur Institute in Paris, from 10-13 June, where they've presented preliminary findings on the unique interactome of AIP. The conference not only served as a valuable platform to showcase the project's novel results and acknowledge its funding sources, but also offered insights into cutting-edge techniques in molecular and structural biology. Additionally, it provided an excellent networking opportunity to establish connections for future collaborations. The 3-year MECH-AIP project (CRP-2024-07) is funded by the Cancer Research and Innovation Hub Malta (CRIHM) through the Cancer Research Programme 2024 Call managed by XJENZA Malta.
