Cancer is caused by unregulated cellular growth, leading to catastrophic consequences for the tissues and organs in which these cells uncontrollably multiply. Research over the past 15+ years has revealed that gene mutation and expression changes underlie the onset, progression, and therapeutic resistance of cancer. The DNA encoding these genes are packaged into a structure called chromatin, and chemical modifications to specific proteins within this structure impart regulatory information impacting the gene expression alterations that underlie cancer. These chemical modifications are termed ‘epigenetic’ as they represent a layer of regulation that is over-and-above (‘epi’) the genetic information encoded by the DNA. Importantly, mutations in regulators that control these epigenetic modification are major drivers of cancer. One of these regulators with a well-documented role in driving cancer is a lysine demethylase enzyme called KDM5C. However, the mechanism through which KDM5C regulates tumor growth and drug resistance remain unclear at this time.
In a Science Café, hosted online on August 5, 2020, Prof. Kyle Biggar discussed how his lab has already developed a promising new inhibitor of this enzyme as a therapeutic target for cancer treatment.
Explore science through Carleton University’s popular Science Cafés, now being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We hope to resume our in-person Science Cafés in the future, generally held twice a month during the fall and winter terms at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. For now, you are invited to join us online throughout the summer for a lively discussion around a scientific issue of the day. Be prepared to be informed, engaged and even amused, as our professors share their scientific discoveries with you. All are welcome to join us via Zoom Webinar.
Visit the Science Café website for more information on upcoming online Science Cafés and to sign up for our newsletter, or contact the Faculty of Science by email at odscience@carleton.ca and by telephone at 613-520-4388.
Friday, August 7, 2020 in General, Science Cafe
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