19/06/2017 - 12:00 - Sala Marie Curie

Genetics and mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Sessions científiques, PRBB CRG Conferences

Adolfo Ferrando

Department of Pathology, Department of Pediatrics, Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University. New York, USA

Adolfo Ferrando, from the Institut for Cancer Genetics in Columbia University in New York, US, seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms that promote and sustain the malignant proliferation and survival of leukemic cells. His team analyses the functions of specific oncogenes and their role in the pathogenesis of childhood leukemia using a combination of genomic technologies, biochemical and genetic analysis. The lab’s research is focused on the cellular and molecular biology of T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia, an aggressive malignancy that results from the cancerous transformation of the progenitors that normally generate the cellular elements of the immune system. Their goal is to uncover the mechanisms that operate in leukemic cells to disrupt nor mal cell growth and survival, and to translate this understanding on to clinical use through the identification of therapeutic targets for the design of highly effective and less toxic, molecularly-tailored antileukemic drugs. He has been invited by Anna Bigas (IMIM).