Manuel Valiente Group Leader
T +34 917 328 000 (Ext 3530)
mvaliente@cnio.es

Brain metastasis is the most common neurological complication of cancer. When metastatic cells reach the brain, prognosis is poor given that available therapies (i.e. surgery and radiation) have limited benefits for patients and the disease inevitably progresses. The rise in the number of patients with brain metastasis is partially due to the increasing number of systemic therapies that work extra-cranial but not in the brain. In this scenario, cancer cells present at this highly demanding secondary site have additional time to evolve and develop into clinically detectable lesions. In the laboratory, we study why and how cells from different cancer types (breast cancer, lung cancer and melanoma) are able to access the brain, survive and colonise this vital organ. We dissect the biology of these processes in vivo using experimental models in order to challenge the current status of this unmet clinical need.

Publications

• STAT3 labels a subpopulation of reactive astrocytes required for brain metastasis.(2018)
  Priego N, Zhu L, Monteiro C, Mulders M, Wasilewski D, Bindeman W, Doglio L, Martínez L, Martínez-Saez E, Cajal SRY, Megías D, Hernández-Encinas E, Blanco-Aparicio C, Martínez L, Zarzuela E, Muñoz J, Fustero-Torres C, Pineiro E, Hernández-Laín A, Bertero L, Poli V, Sánchez-Martínez M, Menendez JA, Soffietti R, Bosch-Barrera J, Valiente M
  Nat Med 24, 1024-1035.
• Pericyte-like spreading by disseminated cancer cells activates YAP and MRTF for metastatic colonization.(2018)
  Er EE, Valiente M, Ganesh K, Zou Y, Agrawal S, Hu J, Griscom B, Rosenblum M, Boire A, Brogi E, Giancotti FG, Schachner M, Malladi S, Massagué J.
  Nat Cell Biol 20, 966-978.
• T lymphocytes facilitate brain metastasis of breast cancer by inducing Guanylate-Binding Protein 1 expression.(2018)
  Mustafa DAM, Pedrosa RMSM, Smid M, van der Weiden M, de Weerd V, Nigg AL, Berrevoets C, Zeneyedpour L, Priego N, Valiente M, Luider TM, Debets R, Martens JWM, Foekens JA, Sieuwerts AM, Kros JM.
  Acta Neuropathol 135, 581-599.
• Silibinin is a direct inhibitor of STAT3.(2018)
  Verdura S, Cuyàs E, Llorach-Parés L, Pérez-Sánchez A, Micol V, Nonell-Canals A, Joven J, Valiente M, Sánchez-Martínez M, Bosch-Barrera J, Menendez JA.
  Food Chem Toxicol 116, 161-172.
• Recent advances in the biology and treatment of brain metastases of non-small cell lung cancer: summary of a multidisciplinary roundtable discussion.(2018)
  Preusser M, Winkler F, Valiente M, Manegold C, Moyal E, Widhalm G, Tonn JC, Zielinski C
  ESMO OPEN 3, e000262-.
• The Evolving Landscape of Brain Metastasis.(2018)
  Valiente M, Ahluwalia MS, Boire A, Brastianos PK, Goldberg SB, Lee EQ, Le Rhun E, Preusser M, Winkler F, Soffietti R
  Trends in Cancer 4, 176-196.
• Neuregulin 3 Mediates Cortical Plate Invasion and Laminar Allocation of GABAergic Interneurons.(2017)
  Bartolini G, Sánchez-Alcañiz JA, Osório C, Valiente M, García-Frigola C, Marín O
  Cell Reports 18, 1157-1170.
• Reactive Astrocytes in Brain Metastasis.(2017)
  Wasilewsky D, Priego N, Fustero-Torre C, Valiente M
  Front Oncol 7, 298-.
• Carcinoma-astrocyte gap junctions promote brain metastasis by cGAMP transfer.(2016)
  Chen Q, Boire A, Jin X, Valiente M, Er EE, Lopez-Soto A, Jacob LS, Patwa R, Shah H, Xu K, Cross JR, Massagué J
  Nature 533, 493-498.
• Serpins promote cancer cell survival and vascular co-option in brain metastasis.(2014)
  Valiente M, Obenauf AC, Jin X, Chen Q, Zhang XH, Lee DJ, Chaft JE, Kris MG, Huse JT, Brogi E, Massagué J
  Cell 156, 1002-1016.
• Loss of the multifunctional RNA-binding protein RBM47 as a source of selectable metastatic traits in breast cancer.(2014)
  Vanharanta S, Marney CB, Shu W, Valiente M, Zou Y, Mele A, Darnell RB, Massagué J
  Elife 4, e02734-.