Cancer Institute Seminar Series - Dr Faraz Mardakheh

Hosted by Prof Bart Vanhaesebroeck
 
A light lunch will be served after the seminar. 
 
Ribosome biogenesis, the highly conserved process of synthesis, modification, and assembly of RNA and protein components of ribosomes into mature ribosomal subunits, is elevated in nearly all human cancers. This upregulation is critical for boosting protein synthesis, in order to maintain the increased anabolic demands of malignancy. In addition, enhanced protein synthesis is crucial for supporting invasion and metastasis in high-grade cancers. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that augment ribosome biogenesis during the initiation and progression of cancer remain poorly understood. Here we reveal two novel pathways that promote ribosome biogenesis, one downstream of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in highly aggressive carcinomas, and the other downstream of the RAS-MAPK pathway in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We characterise the molecular mechanisms of these pathways, and demonstrate that they can be used as potential therapeutic targets for specific inhibition of malignant ribosome biogenesis

This seminar has been sponsored in part by the Biomedical Research Centre and Cancer Research UK