Romain LUSCAN

As an ORL (Otolaryngology) surgeon pursuing a PhD, I am studying rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. Despite current treatments, the prognosis for metastatic or relapsed RMS is poor, with survival rates below 20%. Due to its rarity, in vitro models are essential for better understanding the tumor's interactions with its environment and testing new therapies.

My focus is on the impact of the tumor's myeloid microenvironment. I will analyze single-cell datasets and create a patient-derived 3D RMS model. This model will be developed by collecting tumor, skin, and blood samples from the same patient. I will use these to generate an "avatar" of the patient’s tumor, co-culturing malignant cells with immune cells like macrophages. The goal is to test new therapies targeting the immune/myeloid population involved in tumor growth.