{"id":89950,"date":"2025-10-19T14:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/?post_type=projects&p=89950"},"modified":"2026-03-16T12:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T11:35:12","slug":"defining-radioresistance-signatures-in-head-and-neck-squamous-cell-carcinoma-hnscc-using-artificial-intelligence-and-spatial-genomic-analysis-hnscc","status":"publish","type":"projects","link":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/projekty-badawcze\/defining-radioresistance-signatures-in-head-and-neck-squamous-cell-carcinoma-hnscc-using-artificial-intelligence-and-spatial-genomic-analysis-hnscc\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining Radioresistance Signatures in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) Using Artificial Intelligence and Spatial Genomic Analysis – HNSCC"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Project funded by the National Science Centre (NCN)<\/strong> under the OPUS 24<\/strong> competition<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"NCN\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Project number: 2022\/47\/B\/NZ4\/01719<\/strong>
Project value: 3,020,720.00 PLN<\/strong>
Funding amount for \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT: 1,839,760.00 PLN<\/strong>
Project duration: 02\/11\/2023 \u2013 01\/11\/2026<\/strong>
Project partner: Poznan University of Medical Sciences<\/strong>
Project manager: Dr. hab. Patrycja Gazi\u0144ska<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVIEW PROJECT<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas (HNSCC) constitute a diverse group of tumors that can develop in more than 30 regions of the head and neck, including the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx<\/strong>. The major etiological factors contributing to HNSCC development are tobacco use and alcohol abuse<\/strong>, while the incidence is also increasing due to human papillomavirus (HPV)<\/strong> infection.<\/p>

HNSCCs are anatomically classified based on the primary tumor site<\/strong>, which determines treatment strategies. When diagnosed early, the survival rate reaches 80\u201390%<\/strong>, but approximately 50% of patients<\/strong> with locally advanced disease experience recurrence, which remains the main cause of treatment failure. Despite improvements in therapies, prognosis for HNSCC patients remains poor<\/strong>, and current treatment options are associated with severe side effects<\/strong>. Surgical procedures and radiotherapy can impair breathing, swallowing, and speech, while radiotherapy may also cause radiation-induced fibrosis<\/strong>, damaging blood vessels that nourish muscles, nerves, and bones.<\/p>

At present, no clinically applicable biomarkers<\/strong> exist to identify radioresistant tumors, and current patient stratification systems<\/strong> for radiotherapy response are insufficient, leading to suboptimal use of healthcare resources and delayed treatment adjustments.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Project objectives<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The project aims to analyze digitized hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained histopathological slides<\/strong> using digital pathology and artificial intelligence (AI)<\/strong> tools to investigate radioresistance mechanisms<\/strong> in HNSCC. Additionally, we plan to explore gene\u2013protein relationships<\/strong> using advanced molecular pathology techniques<\/strong>, enabling the integration of genomic data<\/strong> with specific cellular populations<\/strong> within the tumor tissue.<\/p>

Through these approaches, we aim to identify mechanisms of radioresistance<\/strong> while also elucidating the biological pathways responsible for radiation and chemotherapy sensitivity<\/strong> in certain HNSCC subtypes. Both digital and molecular pathology methodologies represent innovative and transformative tools<\/strong> in fundamental cancer biology research.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Scientific rationale<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The pathomorphology of HNSCC<\/strong> plays a crucial role in developing resistance to radiotherapy. Premalignant lesions frequently extend to surgical margins<\/strong>, and even after tumor removal, they may serve as sources of local recurrence<\/strong> or new primary tumors<\/strong>. These changes occur within the extracellular matrix (ECM)<\/strong> \u2014 a structure providing both mechanical and biochemical support<\/strong> to surrounding cells.<\/p>

Tumor cells coexist with various stromal and immune cell populations<\/strong> (e.g., fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and immune cells) that form part of the tumor microenvironment (TME)<\/strong> and modulate cancer progression by remodeling local conditions.<\/p>

HNSCCs are characterized by significant molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity<\/strong> and harbor numerous genetic mutations<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Research hypothesis<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We hypothesize that not only tumor cells<\/strong> but also minor alterations in the seemingly normal epithelium<\/strong>, as well as tumor-associated stromal and immune cells<\/strong>, play pivotal roles in regulating tumor function, disease progression, and response or resistance to radiotherapy<\/strong>.<\/p>

A deeper understanding of the tumor microenvironment<\/strong> and its influence on tumor behavior will ultimately enhance our ability to explain and predict treatment sensitivity, resistance, and recurrence<\/strong>. Using computational and molecular pathology<\/strong>, we aim to identify histopathological features<\/strong>, reveal cell\u2013cell interactions<\/strong>, and study biological processes<\/strong> within the tumor environment that are critical for tumor behavior and radioresistance<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Project funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) under the OPUS 24 competition Project number: 2022\/47\/B\/NZ4\/01719Project value: 3,020,720.00 PLNFunding amount for \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT: 1,839,760.00 PLNProject duration: 02\/11\/2023 \u2013 01\/11\/2026Project partner: Poznan University of Medical SciencesProject manager: Dr. hab. Patrycja Gazi\u0144ska VIEW PROJECT Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas (HNSCC) constitute a diverse group of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":93519,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[747],"grupy_badawcze":[610],"pozostale_projekty":[],"class_list":["post-89950","projects","type-projects","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nsc","grupy_badawcze-grupa-badawcza-biobank"],"acf":{"kierownik_projektu":["Dr. hab. Patrycja Gazi\u0144ska"],"dofinansowanie":"Narodowe Centrum Nauki","grupa_badawcza":["Biobank Research Group"],"nazwa_projektu":"","tematyka_projektu":"","opis_projektu":"","dofinanowanie":"National Science Centre","nr_projektu":"","wartosc_dofinansowania":""},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2026-11-01 00:00:00","action":"category","newStatus":"draft","terms":[595],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projects\/89950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projects"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/projects"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projects\/89950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96673,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projects\/89950\/revisions\/96673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89950"},{"taxonomy":"grupy_badawcze","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/grupy_badawcze?post=89950"},{"taxonomy":"pozostale_projekty","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pozostale_projekty?post=89950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}