Project information
The role of primary cilia in the progression of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (Cisqua)

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignancy with limited therapeutic options and poor prognosis. In this project, I will investigate whether NEK2 and PLK1 play a key role in the regulation of cell proliferation, primary cilia, and chromosomal instability of OSCC. The aim of the proposed project is to comprehensively investigate their functional involvement in this disease, using a set of human OSCC cell lines with targeted increase and decrease of their expression or using specific inhibitors. These experiments will be supplemented by analyses of primary human OSCC samples and the introduction of a transgenic mouse OSCC model. In summary, this project will for the first time thoroughly characterize the frequency and role of primary cilia in the OSCC and the significance of NEK2 and PLK1, which have been studied in OSCC only to a limited extent. Since both NEK2 and PLK1 are potential treatment targets, this study will contribute to the development of potential novel avenues for therapy of OSCC.