Professor Kevin Ryan, Tumour Cell Death Laboratory, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow.
Tuesday 8th December, 1.00 p.m. Keynes Lecture Theatre 6
Inactivation of cell death pathways is a central component of cancer progression. Various mechanisms exist in normal cells to invoke cell death and eradicate cells that may otherwise form a tumor. Classically, studies of cell death have focused on apoptosis. It is now clear, however, that cell viability is also regulated by autophagy. In contrast to apoptosis there appear to be context specific aspects of autophagy with respect to death, with reported involvement in both cell death and cell survival. More recently, studies have shown that there is also cross-talk between the apoptosis and autophagy pathways in the determination of tumor cell death and therapeutic response. It seems conceivable therefore, that identification and investigation of the factors controlling apoptosis and autophagy will lead to insights into cell death regulation during tumor development, and may also reveal novel targets for therapeutic intervention. In this regard, we have undertaken a number of screens to identify apoptotic and autophagic regulators. The mechanism of action and context-specific nature of a number of these factors will be described and the potential implications with respect to tumor development and cancer therapy will be discussed.