Participants
| Code: | 10 |
| Short name: | BERN |
| Name: | University of Bern |
| Department: | Urology |
| Description: |
Consortium task: Dr. Thalmann, together with Dr. Cecchini, will be the responsible scientists for the preclinical in vivo evaluation of gene function, target validation and therapeutic strategies in experimental models of androgen independence and bone metastases. Track record: George Thalmann (george.thalmann@insel.ch) is an oncological urologist at the Department of Urology of the University of Bern and has been involved in clinical and basic urological research for over 10 years. He trained in research and urology at the University of Bern and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He has established the Urology Research Laboratory of the Department of Urology in Bern specialized in the research of androgen independent and bone metastatic prostate cancer which is funded by national and international grants. He is an active member of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the Swiss Institute for Applied Cancer Research (SIACR). He has successfully participated in international collaborations and received the prestigious Theodor-Kocher Award of the University of Bern, Switzerland, and the Matula Award for young urological academicians of the European Association of Urology (EAU). He has recently obtained as principal investigator a grant for the establishment of a tumor tissue bank for the University Hospital. His current position is as a member of staff of the Department of Urology and Associate Professor of Urology of the University of Bern. Marco Cecchini (marco.cecchini@dkf.unibe.ch) is head of the Urology Research Lab at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Dr. Cecchini has 20 years of research experience. During the first 15 years he has investigated basic aspects of bone cell biology, with special focus on the ontogenesis of the bone resorbing cell, the osteoblast, and on the cellular mechanism of action of strong inhibitors of bone resorption, the bisphosphonates. In the last 5 years he has focused his research on: a) the identification of potential targets on tumor endothelium for delivering anti-angiogenic molecules, b) mechanisms responsible for the propensity of prostate and mammary cancer to metastasize to bone, and c) mechanisms involved in the micro-environmental support for bone metastatic growth and possible therapeutic strategies aiming to interfere with it. In close collaboration with the group lead by Dr. Löwik (Leiden, the Netherlands), he has developed an animal model, based on bioluminescent reporter imaging (BLI), able to detect early stages of (bone) metastatic development and, thus, suitable for verifying the in vivo relevance of candidate "metastatic" genes and for testing novel therapeutic strategies. Within the EMIL network he will closely interact with Dr. Löwik in developing further assays and animal models based on BLI. |
| Address: |
Inselspital Department of Urology Anna Seiler Haus Hochschulstrasse 4 3010 Bern Switzerland |
| Website Organization: | http://www.unibe.ch |
| Website Department: | |
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