Alicia Bruzos

I began my research career in human cancer genomics within the International Cancer Genome Consortium, where I analyzed retrotransposon insertions and viral integrations that destabilize chromosomes and contribute to tumorigenesis. This foundation shaped my perspective on genome instability and cancer evolution. During my doctoral work, I turned to transmissible cancers in marine bivalves, integrating large-scale field sampling with histopathology, molecular assays, and genomics. I co-discovered horizontal mitochondrial transfer, an early whole genome duplication, co-infection by multiple cancer lineages, amplification of well-known oncogenes revealing the evolutionary parallels between marine and human cancers. Furthermore, I co-discovered a cross-species transmission of cancer between two clam species, broadening our understanding of metastatic barriers and highlighting the ecological risks posed by these contagious agents. In my first postdoctoral work in the UK, I returned to human cancer genomics, co-discovering mosaic BRAF and RAF1 fusions as recurrent drivers of melanocytic naevi; this work laid the foundation to MEK inhibitors treatments that have been tested on patients showing promising results. For my second postdoctoral work in France, I wrote a project on the environmental dynamics of transmissible cancers, designing a PCR-based assay for routine monitoring and characterizing their spatio-temporal spread in cockles and cohabiting species. These experiences now converge in my independent research group in Germany, where I aim to explore microbiome-cancer interactions.

My profile bridges field ecology, cellular and molecular pathology, and bioinformatics. I am intrigued by the evolutionary convergence of cancers across different species, how malignant cells evolve to metastasize or ‘travel to’ distant tissues, organisms and, in some cases, even other species. So, my research focuses on multi-omic approaches in marine bivalves to uncover conserved mechanisms that underlie cancer transmissibility. Working with bivalves is not without challenges because they are not typically used in cancer genomics.

Over the last decade, I have built an international research career through positions in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Spain, and expanded my collaboration network through short-term stays in Portugal, South Korea, Ireland, and the United States.

 
For a full list of publications see my ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4362-545X