Analysis of the Tumor Microenvironment in Thyroid Cancer: A Study on the Clinical Relevance of TACS and the Functional Role of Mast Cells

• Grant number: 25/13853-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Lucas Leite Cunha
• Grantee: Lucas Leite Cunha
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated research grant: 24/06697-8 - The immunological microenvironment of thyroid cancer and its clinical application: A comprehensive approach., AP.R

Abstract

Thyroid cancer progression is modulated by a complex tumor microenvironment. This project addresses two hypotheses from our group, treating them as complementary yet experimentally independent subprojects. The rst subproject investigates the clinical hypothesis that Tumor-Associated Collagen Signatures (TACS) function as biomarkers of aggressiveness. To this end, we will analyze collagen architecture via Second-Harmonic Generation (SHG) Microscopy in human tissue samples from three thyroid tumor subtypes with distinct prognoses (Papillary, Medullary, and Anaplastic). The second subproject will test the functional hypothesis that mast cells play a causal role in tumor progression and immune response modulation. We will use an experimental model in rats with mast cell depletion and Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) cell inoculation, assessing tumor growth and the immune inltrate. Although independent, the combined results will provide a broader view of dierent components governing thyroid cancer biology. (AU)