Abstract
Metastasis represents the most devastating stage of cancer progression and is responsible for most of cancer-related deaths. How and when cancer cells acquire metastatic traits is a topic of intense investigation and debate in the field. It has become clear that the development of metastatic capability in cancer cells is a continuous process that is shaped by the tissue of origin of the primary tumor, early oncogenic events, as well as the stresses tumor cells endure when they encounter different microenvironments and therapeutic treatments. Many genes play multiple functions during primary tumorigenesis and metastatic progression, and may represent ideal targets for therapeutic intervention. In this lecture, the speaker will discuss some latest findings in his understanding of the origin and evolution of metastasis traits, with emphasis on the connection of metastasis genes to early events of tumor initiation.
About the speaker
Prof Yibin Kang received his PhD in Genetics from Duke University in 2000. He was postdoctoral fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and pioneered a functional genomic approach to elucidate mechanism of breast cancer metastasis from 2000 to 2004. He joined Princeton University in 2004, and is currently Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Professor of Molecular Biology. He will be the President of the Metastasis Research Society from 2016 to 2018.
Prof Kang's research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis. His laboratory applies a multidisciplinary approach to analyze the molecular basis of cancer metastasis, combining molecular biology and genomics tools with animal models and advanced in vivo imaging technologies. He has published over 100 original articles in leading journals including Cell, Cancer Cell, and Nature Medicine. His work discovered new genes that promote recurrence, metastasis and chemoresistance of breast cancer, delineated tumor-stromal interactions that are essential for metastatic growth, and identified novel regulators with dual functions in mammary gland cell fate determination and tumor progression.
Prof Kang received numerous prestigious awards including the Vicek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Sciences, the AACR Award for Outstanding Achievements in Cancer Research, the Fuller Albright Award from the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, and the Josh Fidler Innovation in Metastasis Research Award from the Metastasis Research Society.
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