María dM Vivanco
mdmvivanco
María dM Vivanco
GROUP LEADER
Cancer Heterogeneity Lab
Address: Bizkaia Science and Technology Park, building 801A, Derio (Bizkaia)

María Vivanco graduated from the University of the Basque Country, worked at Sandoz (Basel) and carried out her PhD thesis at EMBL (Heidelberg). After her post-doctoral studies at UCSF (San Francisco), María started her own lab at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, where she identified mammary stem/progenitor cells in the human breast. She has directed her group at CIC bioGUNE since 2005, characterising mammary stem cells and examining their role in resistance to therapy. She is currently studying cancer stem cells as new therapeutic targets. She is on the committee of the European Network for Breast Development and Cancer and has worked with breast cancer charities, including Breakthrough (UK) and Acambi (Spain).

Latest Publications

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

The Cancer Heterogeneity Lab seeks to understand tumor heterogeneity and use this knowledge to deliver new approaches to treatment of patients. Breast cancer is a particularly heterogeneous disease. The identification and characterization of cells with stem-like properties (cancer stem/progenitor cells, CSCs) in breast cancer has opened new possibilities for anti-cancer therapies. Furthermore, CSCs have been implicated in tumor initiation and resistance to current treatments, including hormone therapy. In addition, characterization of the regulation of normal epithelial cell differentiation is fundamental to understanding breast cancer heterogeneity.

A major objective of the laboratory is to gain further insight into the roles of steroid hormone receptors in normal breast tissue and during breast cancer development. Thus, the influences of hormones, other signaling factors and the microenvironment on breast stem cells and on their transformation into cancer initiating cells are being explored, particularly focusing on their effects during development of resistance to hormone therapy. Recent work from the lab has revealed the role of CSCs in resistance to tamoxifen and has highlighted the molecular heterogeneity observed in response to the cell environment. Presently, studies are in progress to improve further our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms regulating stem and cancer stem cells with the final aims of (1) identifying biomarkers of resistance to therapy and (2) progressing our understanding of breast cancer biology. Recent studies have focused on the transcription factors SOX2 and SOX9, which play key roles in CSCs in many tumor types.

The group also maintains a strong interest in secreted factors whose expression is altered in metastatic and treatment-resistant disease, such as Wnt-11, which is found upregulated in prostate and colorectal cancers. We identified FZD8 as a major Wnt-11 receptor in prostate cancer that integrates Wnt and TGF-beta signals and we have developed Wnt-11 function-blocking antibody nanoparticles, in collaboration with A. Cortajarena at CIC biomaGUNE. In addition, we study Dkk-3, which regulates the tumor microenvironment. We have identified Dkk-3 effectors and are using epigenetic approaches to restore Dkk-3 levels expression in cancer, in collaboration with colleagues at Imperial College London.

Latest Publications

The impact of glycosylation on the structure, function, and interactions of CD14.

Quintana, Jon Imanol; Delgado, Sandra; Rabano, Miriam; Azkargorta, Mikel; Florencio-Zabaleta, Mirane; Unione, Luca; Vivanco, Maria dM; Elortza, Felix; Jimenez-Barbero, Jesus; Arda, Ana;

Glycobiology

2024-01-16

A Novel Mathematical Approach for Analysis of Integrated CellePatient Data Uncovers a 6-Gene Signature Linked to Endocrine Therapy Resistance

Parga-Pazos, M; Cusimano, N; Rábano, M; Akhmatskaya, E; Vivanco, MD;

LABORATORY INVESTIGATION

2023-11-29

Imagine beyond: recent breakthroughs and next challenges in mammary gland biology and breast cancer research

van Amerongen, R; Bentires-Alj, M; van Boxtel, AL; Clarke, RB; Fre, S; Suarez, EG; Iggo, R; Jechlinger, M; Jonkers, J; Mikkola, ML; Koledova, ZS; Sorlie, T; Vivanco, MD;

JOURNAL OF MAMMARY GLAND BIOLOGY AND NEOPLASIA

2023-12-01

Characterization of Breast Cancer Aggressiveness by Cell Mechanics

Zbiral, B; Weber, A; Vivanco, MD; Toca-Herrera, JL;

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

2023-08-01

Measuring (biological) materials mechanics with atomic force microscopy. 5. Traction force microscopy (cell traction forces)

Gil-Redondo, JC; Weber, A; Vivanco, MD; Toca-Herrera, JL;

MICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE

2023-06-22

Application of self-organizing maps to AFM-based viscoelastic characterization of breast cancer cell mechanics

Weber, A; Vivanco, MDM; Toca-Herrera, JL;

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

2023-02-22

Intravital imaging of Wnt/?-catenin and ATF2-dependent signalling pathways during tumour cell invasion and metastasis

Stoletov, K; Sanchez, S; Gorroño, I; Rabano, M; Vivanco, MDM; Kypta, R; Lewis, JD;

JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE

2023-02-01

Comparison of Genomic Profiling Data with Clinical Parameters: Implications for Breast Cancer Prognosis

López-Ruiz, JA; Mieza, JA; Zabalza, I; Vivanco, MDM;

CANCERS

2022-09-01

Involvement of the PI3K/AKT Intracellular Signaling Pathway in the AntiCancer Activity of Hydroxytyrosol, a Polyphenol from Olea europaea, in Hematological Cells and Implication of HSP60 Levels in Its Anti-Inflammatory Activity

Parra-Perez, AM; Pérez-Jiménez, A; Gris-Cárdenas, I; Bonel-Pérez, GC; Carrasco-Díaz, LM; Mokhtari, K; García-Salguero, L; Lupiáñez, JA; Rufino-Palomares, EE;

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

2022-07-01

Substrate stiffness modulates the viscoelastic properties of MCF-7 cells

Gil-Redondo, JC; Weber, A; Zbiral, B; Vivanco, MD; Toca-Herrera, JL;

JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS

2021-11-23

Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Cluster Transformation in a Microporous Molybdoarsenate(V)-Metalorganic Framework

Dissem, N; Artetxe, B; San Felices, L; Beobide, G; Castillo, O; Ruiz-Bilbao, E; Lezama, L; Vivanco, MD; Haddad, A; Gutiérrez-Zorrilla, JM;

INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

2021-09-21

Nuclear receptors: Lipid and hormone sensors with essential roles in the control of cancer development

Font-Díaz, J; Jiménez-Panizo, A; Caelles, C; Vivanco, MD; Pérez, P; Aranda, A; Estébanez-Perpiñá, E; Castrillo, A; Ricote, M; Valledor, AF;

SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY

2021-06-10

Estrogen Modulates Epithelial Breast Cancer Cell Mechanics and Cell-to-Cell Contacts

Zbiral, B; Weber, A; Iturri, J; Vivanco, MDM; Toca-Herrera, JL;

MATERIALS

2021-06-01

SOX11 promotes epithelial/mesenchymal hybrid state and alters tropism of invasive breast cancer cells

Oliemuller, E; Newman, R; Tsang, SM; Foe, S; Muirhead, G; Noor, F; Haider, S; Aurrekoetxea-Rodriguez, I; Vivanco, MD; Howard, BA;

ELIFE

2020-09-10

OMTX705, a Novel FAP-Targeting ADC Demonstrates Activity in Chemotherapy and Pembrolizumab-Resistant Solid Tumor Models

Fabre, M; Ferrer, C; Domínguez-Hormaetxe, S; Bockorny, B; Murias, L; Seifert, O; Eisler, SA; Kontermann, RE; Pfizenmaier, K; Lee, SY; Vivanco, MD; López-Casas, PP; Perea, S; Abbas, M; Richter, ...

CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH

2020-07-01

The Major Pre- and Postmenopausal Estrogens Play Opposing Roles in Obesity-Driven Mammary Inflammation and Breast Cancer Development

Qureshi, R; Picon-Ruiz, M; Aurrekoetxea-Rodriguez, I; de Paiva, VN; DAmico, M; Yoon, H; Radhakrishnan, R; Morata-Tarifa, C; Ince, T; Lippman, ME; Thaller, SR; Rodgers, SE; Kesmodel, S; Vivanco, ...

CELL METABOLISM

2020-06-02

Single-Cell Probe Force Studies to Identify Sox2 Overexpression-Promoted Cell Adhesion in MCF7 Breast Cancer Cells

Iturri, J; Weber, A; Vivanco, MD; Toca-Herrera, JL;

CELLS

2020-04-01

Resveratrol-Induced Temporal Variation in the Mechanical Properties of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells Investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy

Iturri, J; Weber, A; Moreno-Cencerrado, A; Vivanco, MD; Benítez, R; Leporatti, S; Toca-Herrera, JL;

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

2019-07-01

Wnt-11 as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker and Therapeutic Target in Colorectal Cancer

Gorroño-Etxebarria, I; Aguirre, U; Sanchez, S; González, N; Escobar, A; Zabalza, I; Quintana, JM; Vivanco, MD; Waxman, J; Kypta, RM;

CANCERS

2019-06-26

Chitosan nanogels as nanocarriers of polyoxometalates for breast cancer therapies

Pérez-Alvarez, L; Ruiz-Rubio, L; Artetxe, B; Vivanco, MDM; Gutiérrez-Zorrilla, JM; Vilas-Vilela, JL;

CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS

2019-06-01