[Contribution of « GIGA-Cancer » at ULiege to the research on tumour microenvironment]

The evolution of cancers is dictated by the intrinsic characteristics of malignant cells, but also by the multiple dynamic and reciprocal interactions that they establish with their tissue and cellular environment. This tumour microenvironment is therefore the subject of an ever-increasing part of cancer researches. These notably shed light on the plasticity of function of these non-malignant cells and on the diversity of their impact on the progression of the disease, both in primary tumours and during the formation of metastases. The improvement of the current therapy and the development of innovative treatments therefore require the identification of these cell subpopulations, either «allies» or «enemies» of aggressive cancer cells, as well as a more extensive understanding of the mechanisms modulating their phenotypes. This article summarizes some research projects carried out in two GIGA-Cancer laboratories supported by «Télévie» and the «Fondation Léon Frédéricq».