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PRODID:-//Columba Systems Ltd//NONSGML CPNG/SpringViewer/ICal Output/3.3-
 M3//EN
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20190724T102029Z
DTSTART:20190828T100000Z
DTEND:20190828T110000Z
SUMMARY:Seminar - Professor Gabor J Tigyi
UID:{http://www.columbasystems.com/customers/uom/gpp/eventid/}v33-jyh3jd4
 o-19ejwl
DESCRIPTION:Professor Gabor J Tigyi will present a talk on 'LPA-Autotaxin
  Axis in the Communication of Neoplastic Cells with the Tumor Microenvir
 onment'\n\nAbstract:\n\nCancer metastasis (MET) and development of resis
 tance to therapy limit survival in most types of cancers. The lack of dr
 ugs that reverse therapy resistance and inhibit MET is a critical barrie
 r to successful therapy. Our previous research began addressing this pro
 blem by identifying the autotaxin (ATX) – the lysophospholipase D that g
 enerates the lipid growth factor lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) – axis as a
  key regulator of MET and therapy resistance. \n\nIn this presentation w
 e will discuss our results on the effect of radiation-induced reprogramm
 ing of fibroblasts of the tumor microenvironment. We will also present t
 he results of experiments utilizing inhibitors of ATX and the impact of 
 CRISPR-Cas9-mediated KO in ovarian carcinoma and melanoma progression in
  orthotopic xenograft models. We will demonstrate the effect of LPA2 GPC
 R inhibition on breast cancer stem-like cell growth and survival. Lastly
 \, we will present our newest data on the inhibitory action of the LPA5 
 receptor on the anti-tumor cytotoxic CD8 T cell response. These results 
 taken together indicate a major role of the ATX-LPA GPCR axis in tumor p
 rogression and the development of the tumor microenvironment. (Supported
  by NCI CA092160 and the Van Vleet Oncology Endowment)\n\n\nBiography:  
  \n\nProfessor Tigyi is Harriet Van Vleet Professor of Physiology and Pr
 ofessor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the University of Tennessee Healt
 h Science Center Memphis\, USA. \n\nHis work has focused on the physiolo
 gical and pathophysiological role of lysophospholipid mediators. Since 1
 987\, when he discovered lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) as a bioactive seru
 m factor\, his research focuses on the isolation\, biochemical structure
  elucidation\, molecular target identification and cellular signaling of
  LPA and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). He is a cofounder of RxBio\, co-
 discoverer of LPA\, an inventor of the autotaxin inhibitors. \n\nAccordi
 ng to his peers\, he has made seminal contributions to LPA biology and p
 athophysiology with over 220 publications on this topic and over 14\,208
  citations. His group has identified lysosphingomyelin\, cyclic phosphat
 idic acid\, and alkenyl glycerophosphate as novel members of the growth 
 factor-like lysophospholipid family. They reported the first LPA1 recept
 or-selective inhibitor in 1998. Since the mid-nineties\, they have been 
 elucidating the molecular pharmacology of lysophospholipid targets\, dev
 eloped and applied computational chemical methods for drug discovery. Th
 is chemical biology work yielded several patents and a rationally design
 ed LPA mimetic\, octadecenyl thiophosphate (OTP/Rx100) that has been tes
 ted in non-human primates and was entered the FDA approval process on th
 e fast track for the treatment of radiation injury. \n\nProfessor Tigyi 
 has helped train 50 fellows and postdocs from the US\, Europe and Japan.
  His work has been funded by NIAID and NCI highlighted with several doze
 ns of high impact factor publications yielding a Hirsch index 66.
STATUS:TENTATIVE
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
CLASS:PUBLIC
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre 5\, Stopford Building\, Manchester
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