| Talk title | Novel telomerase inhibitors |
| Speaker | Prof. Vinay Tergaonkar Research Director and Professor Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore |
| Date & Time | 5 March 2018 (Monday) 10:00-11:00 |
| Venue | Room G004, E12 Building (University of Macau) |
| Abstract | While telomerase is recognized as a key target in cancer, telomerase inhibitors despite being good drugs are unsuccessful due to their side effects on stem cells. Unlike in stem cells, levels of telomerase catalytic subunit TERT are limiting in reconstituting telomerase activity in normal somatic cells. However, in 90-95 % of human cancers, TERT is transcriptionally reactivated and telomerase activity is reconstituted which is necessary for cancer progression. If TERT transcriptional reactivation in cancer cells can be blocked, telomerase reconstitution in cancers can be prevented. How TERT promoter is reactivated in cancers has been a fundamental unanswered question in cancer biology. The recent discovery of 2 prevalent somatic mutations – C250T and C228T in the TERT promoter in various cancers including 85% of melanomas and glioblastomas has provided insight into the plausible mechanism of telomerase reactivation in cancers. We have identified mechanisms by which mutant TERT promoters are reactivated. I will describe these mechanisms of TERT promoter firing and propose how we can selectively target TERT reactivation and hence telomerase activity in mutant cancer cells. |
