Unit:
Κατεύθυνση ΒιοπληροφορικήLibrary of the School of Science
Supervisors info:
Μπάγκος Παντελής, Καθηγητής, Βιοπληροφορική και Βιοστατιστική,
Τμήμα Πληροφορικής με εφαρμογές στην Βιοιατρική
Ιωάννης Π. Τρουγκάκος, Καθηγητής, Βιολογικό, Εθνικό & Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών (ΕΚΠΑ)
Αλέξανδρος Γεωργακίλας, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Σχολή Εφαρμοσμένων Μαθηματικών και Φυσικών Επιστημών, Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο
Original Title:
Μεταγονιδιωματική ανάλυση σε ιστούς ασθενών με μεταστατικό καρκίνο
Translated title:
Metagenomics analysis in patient tissues with metastatic cancer
Summary:
In recent years, the research on the role of the human microbiome consists an essential part of investigation in the fields of Biology and Medicine. The microbial system that can be found in humans, and especially that of the digestive tract, makes up a notable part of the immune system and its connections to other human organs. The microbiome acts synergistically with the human system to achieve balance, since microorganisms assist in the production of necessary nutrients and more. In cases where this balance fails to be achieved, studies have found that microorganisms can cause or be involved in several diseases, including cancer.
The aim of this thesis is to investigate the microbiome in tissues of patients with metastatic cancer, using data from RNA-seq experiments. The differential expression of microorganisms in different tissue states (adjacent tissue, primary tissue, metastatic tissue) imply their possible association in pathways related to cancer. The data used were taken from NCBI GEO database. The algorithms used to carry out the metagenome analysis included HISAT2 and AGAMEMNON.
Their execution allowed the detection of microbial sequences several of which have been associated, in related literature, with the creation of toxic environments that favor inflammation and, therefore, cancer. Cancer metastasis is a process of increased complexity, while the literature on the association of microorganisms with it is currently limited. Several microorganisms that have been observed to possess a protective role against cancer have been found in this study to be downregulated or absent in cancerous conditions.
Main subject category:
Science
Keywords:
metagenomics, cancer, metastasis
