Department Pathology
Principal investigator Riccardo Fodde
E-mail address r.fodde@erasmusmc.nl
Website https://labriccardofodde.nl/
The cell of origin of colon cancer in the context of Western-style dietary habits
Suitable as a BEP? No
Suitable as a MEP? Yes
Suitable as an Academic Research Project? No
Techniques:
- Bioinformatics (machine learning, WGS analysis, (single cell) RNA/ATAC-sequencing analysis etc.)
- DNA isolation from FFPE
- Cell/organoid culture
- Cloning
- FACS
- Immunofluorescence
- Immunohistochemistry
- In vivo mouse work
Recently, our group has demonstrated that, in the context of inflammation, a fully committed cell lineage can give rise to tumors in the mouse intestine. Since Western-style diet (WSD) has been linked to systemic metabolic inflammation, we hypothesize that WSD-related cases are caused by similar mechanisms. To test this, we will use a colon cancer cohort with matched dietary habits data established by Wageningen University. By performing whole genome sequencing on colon tumor material from different individuals we aim to identify the cell-of-origin linked to WSD using machine learning algorithms. Finally, we will use cell/organoid lines and in vivo mouse models to functionally test whether the identified cellular lineages can indeed serve as the cell-of-origin of WSD-related colon cancer.
Further reading (click to link to article)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-024-01801-y
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63957-3#code-availability
https://labriccardofodde.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Verhagen-Schmitt-Fodde-Nat-Rev-Gastro.pdf