Tumor Microenvironment Laboratory

Head
Dr hab. Agnieszka Bronisz - phone: +48 22 60 86 567, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project manager / Administration
dr n. biol. Elżbieta Lewandowska-Gnatowska - phone +48 22 60 86 502; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PhD students
Mgr Klaudia Kiel - phone +48 22 60 86 419; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mgr Arpita Balakrishnan - phone +48 22 60 86 419; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Former Lab Members
dr Kamil Krawczyński; phone 22 60 86 419

Research profile
• Study of the microenvironment – the cancer niche, especially microenvironment of glioblastoma (GBM), and glioblastoma stem-like cell GSC cells that are to be instrumental initiating the formation of this cancer
• Understanding the mechanisms of direct and indirect interactions of the microenvironment with cancer cells
• The impact of interactions between cancer cells and tumor microenvironment on molecular mechanisms conducted in the cell, especially on changes in the regulation of gene expression through non-coding RNA (ncRNA)

Grants

  • The role of non-coding RNA in the modification of epigenetic tumorigenesis mechanisms
    Agnieszka Bronisz: National Science Centre Poland, grant Opus 15, nr 2018/29/B/NZ1/01016, 2019-2023
  • Extracellular vesicles modified ex vivo as an anti-cancer immune-response boosting vaccine.
    Klaudia Kiel, NCN Pl, Preludium 20, 2021/41/N/NZ6/02682, 2022-2025.
  • Inducing death in glioblastoma: Targeting ferroptosis-related genes in glioblastoma stem-like cells as a potential therapeutic approach. 
    Kamil Krawczyński, IMDIK FBW 003-005; 2022-2023 
  • Extracellular vesicles modified ex vivo as an anti-cancer immune-response boosting vaccine.
    Agnieszka Bronisz. IMDiK FBW 001-001;2021-2022

Collaboration
domestic
• Dr. Elżbieta Salińska / Mossakowski Medical Center/ Warszawa, Polska
foreign
• Dr E. Antonio Chiocca / Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Boston, MA, USA
• Dr Ralph Weissleder / Massachusetts General Hospital / Boston, MA, USA
• Dr Hiroshi Nakashima / Harvard Medical School / Boston, MA, USA
• Dr Franz Ricklefs / Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf / Hamburg, Germany
• Dr Mariano Viapiano / SUNY Upstate Medical University / Syracuse, NY, USA
• Dr Benjamin Purow / University of Virginia / Charlottesville, VA, USA

Research methods
• Proteomics (WB, IF, IHC, Masspectroskopy)
• Genomics (qPCR, Gene Arrays, NGS)
• Cellular models (3D cultures)
• Animal models (intracranial xenografts)
• Genetic engineering (siRNA, shRNA, CRISPR/Cas9, lentivirus)
• Therapeutic carriers (nanoparticles, oncolytic viruses, extracellular vesicles)

Patents and patent applications
US Patent App. 18/031,054 ; 2023; Godlewski J, Bronisz A, EA Chiocca EA Compositions and Methods Targeting circ2082 for the Treatment of Cancer

Selected publications

  • Kiel K, Król SK, Bronisz A, Godlewski J. MiR-128-3p - a gray eminence of the human central nervous system. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2024 Feb 6;35(1):102141. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2024.102141. PMID: 38419943; PMCID: PMC10899074. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38419943/
  • Szczepaniak A, Bronisz A, Godlewski J. Circular RNAs-New Kids on the Block in Cancer Pathophysiology and Management. Cells. 2023 Feb 8;12(4):552. doi: 10.3390/cells12040552. PMID: 36831219; PMCID: PMC9953808.  https://pub>med.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3683121
  • Bronisz A, Rooj AK, Krawczyński K, Peruzzi P, Salińska E, Nakano I, Purow B, Chiocca EA, Godlewski J. The nuclear DICER-circular RNA complex drives the deregulation of the glioblastoma cell microRNAome. Sci Adv. 2020 Dec 16;6(51):eabc0221. PMID:33328224
  • Godlewski J, Farhath M, Ricklefs FL, Passaro C, Kiel K, Nakashima H, Chiocca EA, Bronisz A. Oncolytic Virus Therapy Alters the Secretome of Targeted Glioblastoma Cells. Cancers (Basel). 2021;13(6):1287. PMID: 33799381
  • Kitamura Y, Kanaya N, Moleirinho S, Du W, Reinshagen C, Attia N, Bronisz A, Revai Lechtich E, Sasaki H, Mora JL, Brastianos PK, Falcone JL, Hofer AM, Franco A, Shah K,. Anti-EGFR VHH-armed death receptor ligand-engineered allogeneic stem cells have therapeutic efficacy in diverse brain metastatic breast cancers. Sci Adv. 2021 Mar 3;7(10):eabe8671.PMID: 3365
  • Krawczynski K, Godlewski J, Bronisz A. Oxidative Stress-Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem in the Hypoxic Environment of a Brain Tumor. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 Aug 14;9(8):747. PMID: 32823815
  • Bronisz A, Salinska E, Chiocca EA, Godlewski J. Hypoxic Roadmap of Glioblastoma-Learning about Directions and Distances in the Brain Tumor Environment. Cancers (Basel). 2020 May 13; 12(5). PMID: 32413951
  • Ogawa D, Ansari K, Nowicki MO, Salinska E, Bronisz A, Godlewski J. MicroRNA-451 Inhibits Migration of Glioblastoma while Making It More Susceptible to Conventional Therapy. Noncoding RNA. 2019 Mar 15; 5(1). PMID: 30875963
  • Bhaskaran V, Nowicki MO, Idriss M, Jimenez MA, Lugli G, Hayes JL, Mahmoud AB, Zane RE, Passaro C, Ligon KL, Haas-Kogan D, Bronisz A, Godlewski J, Lawler SE, Chiocca EA, Peruzzi P. The functional synergism of microRNA clustering provides therapeutically relevant epigenetic interference in glioblastoma. Nat Commun. 2019 01 25; 10(1):442. PMID: 30683859
  • Jun HJ, Appleman VA, Wu HJ, Rose CM, Pineda JJ, Yeo AT, Delcuze B, Lee C, Gyuris A, Zhu H, Woolfenden S, Bronisz A, Nakano I, Chiocca EA, Bronson RT, Ligon KL, Sarkaria JN, Gygi SP, Michor F, Mitchison TJ, Charest A. A PDGFRa-driven mouse model of glioblastoma reveals a stathmin1-mediated mechanism of sensitivity to vinblastine. Nat Commun. 2018 08 06; 9(1):3116. PMID: 30082792
  • Ricklefs FL, Alayo Q, Krenzlin H, Mahmoud AB, Speranza MC, Nakashima H, Hayes JL, Lee K, Balaj L, Passaro C, Rooj AK, Krasemann S, Carter BS, Chen CC, Steed T, Treiber J, Rodig S, Yang K, Nakano I, Lee H, Weissleder R, Breakefield XO, Godlewski J, Westphal M, Lamszus K, Freeman GJ, Bronisz A, Lawler SE, Chiocca EA. Immune evasion mediated by PD-L1 on glioblastoma-derived extracellular vesicles. Sci Adv. 2018 03; 4(3):eaar2766. PMID: 29532035
  • Rooj AK, Ricklefs F, Mineo M, Nakano I, Chiocca EA, Bronisz A, Godlewski J. MicroRNA-Mediated Dynamic Bidirectional Shift between the Subclasses of Glioblastoma Stem-like Cells. Cell Rep. 2017 06 06; 19(10):2026-2032. PMID: 28591575
  • Godlewski J, Ferrer-Luna R, Rooj AK, Mineo M, Ricklefs F, Takeda YS, Nowicki MO, Salinska E, Nakano I, Lee H, Weissleder R, Beroukhim R, Chiocca EA, Bronisz A. MicroRNA Signatures and Molecular Subtypes of Glioblastoma: The Role of Extracellular Transfer. Stem Cell Reports. 2017 06 06; 8(6):1497-1505. PMID: 28528698
  • Mineo M, Ricklefs F, Rooj AK, Lyons SM, Ivanov P, Ansari KI, Nakano I, Chiocca EA, Godlewski J, Bronisz A. The Long Non-coding RNA HIF1A-AS2 Facilitates the Maintenance of Mesenchymal Glioblastoma Stem-like Cells in Hypoxic Niches. Cell Rep. 2016 06 14; 15(11):2500-9. PMID: 27264189
  • Ricklefs F, Mineo M, Rooj AK, Nakano I, Charest A, Weissleder R, Breakefield XO, Chiocca EA, Godlewski J, Bronisz A. Extracellular Vesicles from High-Grade Glioma Exchange Diverse Pro-oncogenic Signals That Maintain Intratumoral Heterogeneity. Cancer Res. 2016 05 15; 76(10):2876-81. PMID: 27013191
  • Ansari KI, Ogawa D, Rooj AK, Lawler SE, Krichevsky AM, Johnson MD, Chiocca EA, Bronisz A, Godlewski J. Glucose-based regulation of miR-451/AMPK signaling depends on the OCT1 transcription factor. Cell Rep. 2015 May 12; 11(6):902-909. PMID: 25937278
  • Godlewski J, Krichevsky AM, Johnson MD, Chiocca EA, Bronisz A. Belonging to a network--microRNAs, extracellular vesicles, and the glioblastoma microenvironment. Neuro Oncol. 2015 May; 17(5):652-62. PMID: 25301812
  • Bronisz A, Wang Y, Nowicki MO, Peruzzi P, Ansari K, Ogawa D, Balaj L, De Rienzo G, Mineo M, Nakano I, Ostrowski MC, Hochberg F, Weissleder R, Lawler SE, Chiocca EA, Godlewski J. Extracellular vesicles modulate the glioblastoma microenvironment via a tumor suppression signaling network directed by miR-1. Cancer Res. 2014 Feb 01; 74(3):738-750. PMID: 24310399
  • Peruzzi P, Bronisz A, Nowicki MO, Wang Y, Ogawa D, Price R, Nakano I, Kwon CH, Hayes J, Lawler SE, Ostrowski MC, Chiocca EA, Godlewski J. MicroRNA-128 coordinately targets Polycomb Repressor Complexes in glioma stem cells. Neuro Oncol. 2013 Sep; 15(9):1212-24. PMID: 23733246
  • Bronisz A, Godlewski J, Wallace JA, Merchant AS, Nowicki MO, Mathsyaraja H, Srinivasan R, Trimboli AJ, Martin CK, Li F, Yu L, Fernandez SA, Pécot T, Rosol TJ, Cory S, Hallett M, Park M, Piper MG, Marsh CB, Yee LD, Jimenez RE, Nuovo G, Lawler SE, Chiocca EA, Leone G, Ostrowski MC. Reprogramming of the tumour microenvironment by stromal PTEN-regulated miR-320. Nat Cell Biol. 2011 Dec 18; 14(2):159-67. PMID: 22179046
  • Godlewski J, Nowicki MO, Bronisz A, Nuovo G, Palatini J, De Lay M, Van Brocklyn J, Ostrowski MC, Chiocca EA, Lawler SE. MicroRNA-451 regulates LKB1/AMPK signaling and allows adaptation to metabolic stress in glioma cells. Mol Cell. 2010 Mar 12; 37(5):620-32. PMID: 20227367