UCL Cancer Institute Seminar Series

Professor Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke, Barts Cancer Institute, presents: Tumour angiogenesis, New ways, new roads. Thursday 19th November, 12pm

Anti-angiogenic agents have not produced widespread clinical benefits. By inhibiting cytotoxic drug delivery and elevating tumour hypoxia, anti-angiogenic approaches reduce the chemotherapy efficacy whilst increasing the tumour aggressiveness. Vascular normalization is a strategy to enhance the anti-tumour effects of chemotherapeutics, but this is time- and dose-dependent and therefore difficult to implement clinically. Here we establish, using methods distinct from anti-angiogenic or vascular normalization strategies, that a radical approach of ‘vascular promotion therapy’, using low dose Cilengitide and Verapamil, in combination with Gemcitabine, provides substantial advantages for cancer therapy. Our data challenge previous dogma and indicate proof-of-principle that vascular promotion could be a strategy to improve cancer therapy beyond standard therapy, thus opening a field of future research.

Hosted by Professor Bart Vanhaesebroeck

The seminar will be followed by a sandwich buffet lunch 

References

1.       Tavora B, Reynolds LE, Batista S, Demircioglu F, Fernandez I, Lechertier T, Lees DM, Wong P-P, Alexopoulou A, Elia G, Clear A, Ledoux A, Hunter J, Perkins N, Gribben JG, & & Hodivala-Dilke KM. Endothelial-FAK is required for the maintenance of chemoresistance. Nature 2014 Jul 27. doi: 10.1038/nature13541.

2.     Birdsey G, Shah A, Reynolds LE,  Dufton N, Almagro L, Yang Y, Aspalter I, Khan S, Mason J,  Dejana E, Göttgens B, Hodivala-Dilke KM, Gerhardt H, Adams RH, & Randi AM. (2015) The endothelial transcription factor ERG promotes vascular stability and growth through Wnt/?-catenin signalling.Developmental Cell Jan 12;32(1):82-96

3.       Wong P-P, Demircioglu F, Ghazaly E, Alrawashdeh W, Stratford M, Scudamore C, Cereser B, Elia G, Hagemann T, Kocher HM, and Hodivala-Dilke KM. Low concentration RGD-integrin inhibitor enhances the efficacy of gemcitabine Cancer Cell. Jan 12;27(1):123-37.

Location

UCL Cancer Institute
Courtyard Café
Paul O'Gorman Building 
72 Huntley Street
London, WC1E 6DD