WEBINAR: Lecture series Cancer Research: "Epigenetic signaling circuits in the tumor microenvironment that modulate invasion and metastasis" - Prof Douglas Hanahan
03/12/2020 11:00 to 03/12/2020 12:15 (Europe/Luxembourg)
Speaker
Prof Douglas Hanahan is Professor of Molecular Oncology, The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Director, The Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) at EPFL, Co-Director, Swiss Cancer Center Leman (SCCL) Distinguished Scholar, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
ABSTRACT
The acquired capability for invasion and metastasis stands as the most complex and pathogenic hallmark of cancer. Studies involving a prototypical genetically engineered mouse model of human cancer, one that develops pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET), are revealing new insights into and mechanisms of the invasive/metastatic phenotype. The multistage tumorigenesis pathway that unfolds in this model (RIP1-Tag2, RT2) culminates in multifocal invasive carcinomas and infrequent metastasis to liver. There are proving to be multiple components to the invasive and metastatic capabilities in this model, and two will be presented.
One mechanism promotes both local invasion and brain metastasis, governed by an co-opted neuronal signaling pathway, involving an NMDA receptor and its ligand, glutamate. (Li and Hanahan, Cell 2013; Li, Zeng, et al, Cancer Cell 2018; Zeng et al Nature 2019).
A second paracrine signaling mechanism opposes tumorigenesis and liver metastasis in the RT2 PanNET model, and others, unless abrogated by upregulation of microRNAs that downregulate the ALK7 receptor (Michael et al, PNAS 2019), which otherwise acts as a tumor suppressor (Michael et al, Developmental Cell 2019).
Both pathways are evidently modulated epigenetically, and not directly by mutational alteration of the cancer cell genome.
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SCHEDULE
About the Lecture & Workshop series - CANCER RESEARCH
The LIH lecture and workshops series in Cancer Research, supported by the FNR and jointly organized with the University of Luxembourg, are gathering internationally recognised speakers to address topics around Cancer Research during 2020. Please find here the current programme for 2020.
These lectures will be followed by a workshop especially dedicated to early-stage researchers.
Attendance to the lecture and workshop are free of charge.