Speaker:
Title:
Disrupting an Oncofetal Feedback Loop Through Small Molecule Screening
Abstract:
Elevated activity of the transcription factor MYC is a prevalent characteristic of cancer. In a subset of cancers, this is correlated with expression of the fetal pluripotency factor LIN28 through a positive feedback loop which is normally suppressed in healthy tissues. This regulatory axis is associated with metastasis and a de-differentiated phenotype. My research intends to develop small molecules capable of interrupting this feedback loop in order to study its contribution to cancer initiation and maintenance.