MSCA-PF: Maxillofacial Oncology in Neurology Research Group

FINBA is a leading institution based in Asturias, Spain, dedicated to advancing biomedical research and health innovation. We bring together scientific excellence, clinical expertise, and a strong translational focus aimed at improving health outcomes.

Our mission is to drive cutting-edge biosanitary research, accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into clinical solutions, and foster innovation that enhances health and well-being at regional, national, and European levels.

It has been created as the management structure of ISPA, grouped around the Central University Hospital of Asturias (HUCA), and also as a tool for managing R&D&I for all healthcare centers under the Health Service of the Principality of Asturias (SESPA). Currently, it is composed of nearly 1,000 affiliated researchers, organized  into key areas of growing importance for global health, including Biotechnology and Biomedical Analyses, Immunology, Microbiology, and Infection, Cancer, Metabolism, Cardiology, Respiratory, and Renal Research, Neurosciences and Sensory Organs, Primary Care, Microbiome Research, Aging Research, and Care Research. Located within the HUCA, the FINBA–ISPA complex provides state-of-the-art facilities for scientific work and fosters collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and industry professionals.

Introduction to the Research Group 

The Maxillofacial Oncology group at ISPA, led by Dr. Saúl Álvarez Teijeiro, focuses on the comprehensive study of oral cancer, ranging from the characterization of premalignant lesions to advanced tumor progression and recurrence. Our main research lines include the development of non-invasive biomarkers (in saliva and plasma), the identification of key molecules involved in tumor initiation and progression, and the study of the tumor microenvironment, particularly cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). We adopt a multidisciplinary approach that integrates quantitative proteomics, spatial transcriptomics, functional assays, 3D models, molecular biology, and histopathological analysis. As our group is composed of both basic and clinical researchers, we have privileged access to clinical samples through HUCA, which has enabled us to establish a biobank of tumor and healthy organoids, matched populations of NFs and CAFs, and saliva and plasma samples collected before surgery and during patient follow-up. This approach allows us to investigate oral cancer at multiple levels, from the molecular and functional characterization of the tumor and its stroma to the development of new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies with clinical application. (More information).

Project

The fellow may join any of our active research lines focused on oral cancer. One line is dedicated to identifying and characterizing the molecular alterations and signaling pathways involved in the early stages of malignant transformation and in tumor progression, with the goal of discovering new therapeutic targets and gaining deeper insight into tumor biology. A second line focuses on the tumor microenvironment, particularly the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and how their interaction with tumor cells promotes aggressiveness, dissemination, and treatment resistance. For these two lines, we have established multiple in-house functional assays and 3D models, including matched pairs of CAFs and NFs and organoids derived from both tumor tissue and tumor-adjacent healthy tissue, which allow in-depth study of the molecular mechanisms underlying oral cancer and stromal interactions. The third line is focused on the development and validation of non-invasive biomarkers in saliva and plasma through liquid biopsy, aimed at improving early diagnosis, risk stratification, and dynamic patient monitoring. These lines are supported by saliva and plasma samples that we are collecting prospectively and continuously from all patients attending the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at HUCA.

Hosting supervisor: Dr. Saúl Álvarez Teijeiro