Research Seminar: Exploring the biological response to hypoxia: opportunities to reduce radiation resistance.

Professor Ester Hammond, CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford

Tuesday 6th February, 1.00 p.m., Stacey Lecture Theatre 1

Regions of hypoxia (insufficient oxygen) are a common occurrence in solid tumours and correlate with poor patient outcome. This is, in part, due the increased radiation resistance of hypoxic cells, meaning they survive after radiotherapy and repopulate the tumour. The levels of hypoxia associated with radiation resistance also induce a replication stress-induced DNA damage response. My lab is focused on describing the hypoxia-induced DNA damage response and looking for ways to exploit this signalling to improve radiotherapy response.