Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms Orchestrating Metastasis Initiation and Outgrowth in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer‑related mortality, with most deaths linked to metastatic disease. Although therapeutic options have improved, survival for patients with metastatic CRC remains limited, and a significant fraction of early‑stage cases eventually develop distant relapse. Understanding the mechanisms that drive metastasis is therefore essential. Evidence suggests that metastatic traits emerge without specific genetic mutations, pointing to non‑genetic, regulatory mechanisms. Enhancer remodeling, which shapes context‑specific gene expression, appears to play a key role in promoting metastatic behavior. By generating and analyzing a metastatic CRC PDO library, this project explores enhancer activity and chromatin architecture changes that define the metastatic switch. Integrating multi‑omics data with functional assays, we aim to map the regulatory networks and identify critical transcription factors that may represent new therapeutic targets.