A Deeper Understanding of Chemical Early Carcinogenesis for the Development of New and More Effective Preventive Strategies
Friday, October 4, 2024
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (US EDT, UTC -4)
Hosted by: The SOT Carcinogenesis and Molecular and Systems Biology Specialty Sections and the Toxicologists of African Origin Special Interest Group
Registration required for this free webinar.
Although the accumulation of mutations in cells has long been assumed to trigger tumorigenesis, recent studies suggest a much more complex relationship: cells often carry many known cancer-causing mutations yet remain phenotypically normal. These cells, despite their remarkable genetic similarities with cancer cells, do not form tumors. Does an intrinsic mechanism within the cell or its microenvironment protect against tumorigenesis? How do processes such as inflammation, ageing, stress, or exposure to certain chemicals influence the behavior of cells already carrying cancer-causing mutations? Current key biological questions are what makes cells ‘normal’, what is the protective mechanisms that keep them that way, and what are the steps that trigger early tumor development.
With a deeper understanding of the very early stages of carcinogenesis, as a cell travels down the pathway to malignancy, we will be able to identify the critical moment of transition and develop new and more effective strategies to prevent cancer before it starts.
Speakers:
· Jesse Salk, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Dr. Salk investigates through next generation Duplex sequencing the promoter hypothesis, in which cells exposed to mutagenic carcinogens accumulate cancer-driving mutations but remain dormant. After exposure to a ‘promoting’ stimulus, such as chronic wounding, chemicals, these ‘initiated’ cells, through an unknown mechanism, gain a selective advantage allowing them to undergo clonal expansion and progress to malignancy.
· Justin Colacino, PhD, MA, MPH, Associate Professor, University of Michigan
Dr. Colacino utilizes innovative, state-of-the-art imaging and sequencing approaches to study the hallmark of phenotypic plasticity and the related molecular and cellular changes upon chemical exposure, as a risk factor promoting breast carcinogenesis in African American women.
· Melissa Troester, PhD, Professor, University of North Carolina (UNC), Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Troester leads epidemiological studies to investigate the impact of the stroma in modifying the relationships between risk factor exposure and age-related epithelial involution in the benign breast.
Registration required for this free webinar.