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Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO

CCBIO Seminar - Anne Christine Johannessen

Please note the forthcoming CCBIO seminar, Thursday, February 19, 14.30 at the BBB, Auditorium 4.

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Apart from the interesting talks, the CCBIO seminars are a good way to meet CCBIO members and associates. Please feel free to inform others about this event as all are welcome both to the lecture and the pizza get-together afterwards!

Invited speaker:

Anne Christine Johannessen, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen

Time/Place: Thursday, February 19, 14.30 at the BBB, Auditorium 4.

Title/Abstract: "Oral cancer – ongoing research with special focus on tumour microenvironment"

Abstract:

Despite advances in early detection and treatment of oral cancer, mortality from this disease remains high because current therapies are limited by the emergence of secondary field tumours and of therapy resistant recurrences. So far, treatment strategies used against oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are based on the classical view that a tumour is composed of a homogeneous population of multiplying cells that harbour certain genetic changes responsible for their invasive and metastasizing behaviour. On the other hand it is known that (1) tumours contain heterogeneous cell populations with different selfrenewing and regenerative potential, and (2) the local microenvironment (e.g. cancer-associated fibroblasts) plays a significant role on behaviour of tumour cells. Development of novel and more efficient oral cancer treatment strategies that take these factors into consideration is thus required.

Our research has three main areas: (1) understanding how the collaborative interactions between human transformed epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts result in their ability to invade and metastasize; (2) the molecular mechanisms of self-renewal in carcinomas, how they are affected by the tumour microenvironment and how they can be targeted; and (3) to develop a malignancy index that can be used for oral cancer diagnosis and predict oral cancer aggressiveness. This index is based on expression of molecules previously identified by our group as significantly altered in both the tumour and stromal compartment of OSCC. A glimpse over the research group, the ongoing research and results on these aspects of oral cancer biology will be presented.

Chairperson: Donald Gullberg <donald.gullberg@biomed.uib.no>, CCBIO

NB! After the seminar, CCBIO is pleased to invite you to a pizza get-together outside the auditorium. Everybody is welcome!