Nov 14 : PI3K Pathway in Cancer

Speaker：Dr. Peter K. Vogt

Host: Pro. Lujian Liao

When: 2013-11-14  13:30

Where: Conference Room 534, School of Life Sciences

Abstract：Current sequencing techniques have uncovered an abundance of genetic changes in cancer cells. Even after most of these changes are discounted as insignificant bystanders, there still remain numerous mutations of potential significance for the oncogenic phenotype. This multiplicity has given rise to the suggestion that the role of individual mutations must be marginal and hence that there are no real dominant driver mutations. The fact that the 1047 mutation in p110α, a single nucleotide substitution, can induce deep changes in RNA and protein profiles and can reproduce a large proportion of the expression signature of basal breast cancer challenges this conclusion. It is clear that there are mutations, even single point mutations, that can push the cell far into the oncogenic phenotype. This is encouraging news for the development of PI3K-based therapy. PI3K can be a potent and perhaps dominant cancer driver, and shutting this force down is bound to have significant beneficial effects in the clinic.