New Strategies to Prevent Cancer Metastasis

4.08.2026

On 24 July 2026, Professor Andreas Moor of ETH Zurich in Basel delivered a lecture at the Medical University of Gdańsk. Professor Moor is Head of the Laboratory for Systems Physiology in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE).

Professor Moor’s research focuses on the mechanisms underlying cancer development and metastasis, with particular emphasis on organotropism. In 2025, he was awarded the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant for the META-CYCLE project, which aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying colorectal cancer metastasis. Since 2026, he has also been co-leading the RECIPRO-CRC project in collaboration with the Medical University of Gdańsk. The project is funded through the OPUS LAP/Weave call, with Michał Bieńkowski, Ph.D. from the Department of Pathomorphology serving as the Polish principal investigator. Further information about the project is available on the project website.

During his lecture, entitled New Strategies to Prevent Cancer Metastasis, Professor Moor presented the latest findings on the mechanisms underlying liver metastasis and discussed novel potential therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing this process. Particular attention was devoted to the role of the tumour microenvironment and to changes occurring in target organs before metastases emerge. He presented the Mosaic Liver platform, developed in his laboratory to investigate interactions between cancer cells and the liver microenvironment in vivo, prior to the formation of metastases. He also discussed research findings identifying Plexin B as a promising therapeutic target and outlined the key stages of the metastatic cascade, highlighting promising targets for novel strategies aimed at preventing metastasis.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the basic sciences at the Medical University of Gdańsk, as well as members of the clinical community at the University Clinical Centre. The lecture was followed by a discussion on opportunities for further scientific collaboration and the development of joint translational research into the mechanisms underlying cancer metastasis.

Photo Marta Popęda, Ph.D.