How do skin cancer cells spread through the body? By recreating the environment surrounding cancer cells, researchers at Leiden University hope to gain a better understanding of the role that UV radiation and changes in skin tissue play in this process. Ultimately, this knowledge could contribute to better prevention strategies and improved treatment options for melanoma.
When people think about preventing skin cancer, sunscreen is often the first thing that comes to mind. And rightly so, says Professor of Mathematical Biology Roeland Merks. 'Using sunscreen with a high protection factor is one of the most important ways to prevent skin cancer.'
At the same time, researchers want to better understand what happens after exposure to UV radiation and chemicals found in skincare products. They are not only looking at skin cells themselves, but also at their surroundings: a network of fibres and proteins that supports cells. Scientists refer to this as the extracellular matrix. 'This environment partly determines how easily a cell can move around,' Merks explains.
How cancer cells spread
The European research project, which will start in September, focuses on melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Its central question is: which properties of the extracellular matrix make it easier, or more difficult, for cancer cells to break away from a tumour and spread?
According to Merks, the stiffness of the matrix is likely to play an important role. Over the past few years, his research group has developed computer models showing how cells attach themselves to fibres in their surroundings and exert forces on them.
'If those fibres are slack, you simply pull them towards you and the cell cannot gain any traction,' he says. 'But if they are tightly stretched, you can pull yourself along them and move forward.' This mechanism may also influence the spread of cancer cells.
Computer models as a virtual laboratory
The Leiden researchers are working with biologists, clinicians and microscopy specialists from countries including Austria and the United Kingdom. These partners map real skin samples and cellular structures. The resulting data are then used to inform the computer models.
According to him, that is precisely the strength of modelling: not to produce a perfect copy of reality, but to uncover what scientists do not yet understand.
One advantage of such models is that they allow researchers to test hypotheses that are difficult to investigate in the laboratory. 'What we are really trying to do is recreate what biologists think is happening,' says Merks. 'If the model then predicts something different from what the experiments show, that's when things become interesting. It may reveal that a piece of the puzzle is still missing.' According to him, that is precisely the strength of modelling: not to produce a perfect copy of reality, but to uncover what scientists do not yet understand.
From mathematical model to cancer research
The project builds on years of work in Leiden developing mathematical models of the interaction between cells and the extracellular matrix. 'This shows that theoretical research can ultimately be useful for very practical questions as well,' says Merks. 'I'm genuinely delighted about that.'
The researchers hope to identify which changes in the environment surrounding skin cells increase the likelihood of cancer spreading. This knowledge could help scientists develop new prevention strategies and improve risk assessment.
'With young people in particular, raising awareness can still make a real difference.'
Raising awareness of skin cancer among young adults
A notable aspect of the four-year project is that it goes beyond research alone. It also includes outreach activities aimed at young adults, a group in which melanoma is often detected only at a later, more advanced stage.
One of the project partners, Marije Kruis, focuses on awareness campaigns around sun protection and recognising suspicious moles. Merks says: 'With young people in particular, raising awareness can still make a real difference.'
In this way, the project brings together very different worlds: from young adults learning how to protect their skin to researchers using computer models to untangle how cancer behaves. 'We're really looking at the whole picture,' says Merks. 'From awareness and prevention right through to the fundamental question: how does it actually work?'
PhotoMel project: international cancer research
The project has been awarded €5.7 million in funding through Horizon Europe Mission Cancer. The international consortium is led by the Medical University of Vienna and also includes CeMM, EMBL, King's College London, Lund University and Marije Kruis. Leiden University has received funding for a PhD candidate and a postdoctoral researcher, both of whom will focus on developing computer models for skin cancer research.
