Circadian Programs in Tumor-Associated Neutrophils

Host

Ana Luísa Correia, PhD, Cancer Dormancy & Immunity

Venue

Seminar room

Abstract

Myeloid cells outnumber adaptive immune cells in most solid tumors, and this is widely recognized as a hallmark of malignancy. However, the nature, function, and time-dependent programs of these myeloid populations vary significantly over 24 hours. Our lab is dedicated to understanding how tissue-specific and time-dependent molecular programs shape the function of myeloid cells in both steady-state and transformed environments. Neutrophils, in particular, infiltrate the lungs daily, even under non-pathological conditions, and their recruitment becomes further amplified during tumor development. Despite this, the regulatory mechanisms driving their circadian infiltration remain poorly understood. We are especially interested in how circadian rhythms influence immune cell dynamics in both healthy and neoplastic lung tissue. By dissecting these time-regulated programs, we aim to uncover novel therapeutic windows that can be exploited to improve treatment efficacy.
In this seminar, I will present unpublished findings that reveal both pro- and anti-tumoral roles of neutrophils in lung cancer, shedding light on the multifaceted and time-sensitive functions of these cells in tumor progression.

Bio

Since January 2021 María Casanova-Acebes is a Junior Group Leader at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO, Madrid), leading the Laboratory of Cancer Immunity. As a graduate student with Andrés Hidalgo at CNIC, she established for the first time how circadian cues control neutrophil aging and clearance from circulation, which in turn control the physiology of hematopoietic and metastasis-prone organs such as the bone marrow, and the lung (Cell 2023, JEM 2018). Awarded a Human Frontiers Long-Term postdoctoral fellowship, she then moved to Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York to carry out her postdoctoral studies under the supervision of Miriam Merad, where she discovered that resident macrophages in the lung control early regulatory T cell expansion and EMT programs in lung cancer (Nature 2021).
The Casanova-Acebes lab investigates how micro- and macro-environmental factors shape myeloid cells in tumors, intending to uncover new actionable targets in this compartment to treat cancer. As of 2025, María Casanova-Acebes has published articles in top scientific journals, which have been cited 7,000 times. She has received several prizes and awards, including an ERC Starting Grant in 2023, and works as Associate Editor at Journal of Experimental Medicine. Maria is actively involved in public outreach and research dissemination projects, and she has been recently selected as a member of the Spanish Young Academy in 2023 and Secretary of the Spanish Society of Immunology. In her (little!) spare time, María is a passionate reader and loves playing with her kids.


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About CR Colloquia Series

Champalimaud Research (CR) Colloquia Series is a seminar programme organised by the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown to promote the discussion about the most interesting and significant questions in neuroscience and physiology & cancer with appointed speakers by the CR Community.