Choice cuts of death

Speaker: Markus Morrison
Institution: Director of the Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology & Director of the Stuttgart Research Center Systems Biology, University of Stuttgart.
Place: Jerónimo Forteza conference room, CIPF

Abstract:

Cells are the fundamental unit of life and are exposed to a great diversity of external and internal stress factors. These stress factors and responses thereon allow cells to adapt to altering environmental conditions, yet excessive stress also carries the danger of irrevocable damage. Such damaged cells as well as developmentally superfluous cells are removed from the bodies of multi-cellular organisms by molecularly “programmed” cell death modalities such as apoptosis. Since such decisions are binary in nature (survival vs. death), cells need to be able to appropriately sense and integrate the diversity of stress signals they receive context-dependently and also must be capable of converting them into the execution of strict life/death decisions. We are interested in the fundamental control mechanisms that govern cellular life/death signaling in time and space, the molecular patterns associated with differential cell fate outcomes as well as their link to tumor cell drug responses and patient prognosis. As such, I will offer a selection of choice cuts of death (and survival) research, from which you will be able to pick your favourites for presentation and discussion.

PATROCINADO POR: 

Sex and gender differences as the gateway to precision medicine – The work of the Women’s Brain Project

Speaker: María Teresa Ferretti
Institution: Women’s Brain Project (Switzerland)
Place: Jerónimo Forteza conference room, CIPF

Abstract:

In recent years, cumulating evidence has indicated that high variability exists among people living with a variety of brain and mental disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Far from being one entity, we are starting to identify disease subtypes, which might require tailored approaches for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Precision medicine, as applied in oncology, might provide substantial progress in the field, from molecular diagnosis to tailored therapeutics.

In this regard, sex and gender differences are emerging as leading features driving patient heterogeneity in brain and mental disorders. These differences offer therefore a useful starting point to discuss potential applications of precision medicine in neurology.

In this talk I will provide the state of the art on sex and gender differences in brain research. Taking Alzheimer and Parkinson as examples, I will present the latest evidence on clinically relevant sex (i.e. biological) and gender (i.e. socioeconomic) differences and their implications for clinical research and practice. As risk factors, symptoms and response to treatment vary between men and women, tailored prevention, diagnosis and treatment should take sex and gender into account.

A proper understanding of sex- and gender differences will be key towards a precision medicine paradigm in neurology, which takes into consideration the specific needs of each patient and their caregiver.

PATROCINADO POR: 

A fat to forget: cholesterol dysregulation in Alzheimer’s Disease

Speaker: Jorge Montesinos, PhD. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas-Margarita Salas
Date: 10th November 12:30h
Place: Salón de Actos Jerónimo Forteza CIPF

Abstract:

Lipid abnormalities have long been described in the brain of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients. However, their contribution to pathogenesis remains controversial. In our recent work, we described the dysregulation of mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs), a hub for the regulation of cellular lipid homeostasis, as a key event in AD.

We found that, by means of its affinity for cholesterol, Amyloid Precursor Protein-derived C99 accumulates in MAM domains and induces cholesterol trafficking dysregulation. As a result, MAM functionality becomes chronically upregulated while disrupting mitochondrial fitness and lipid homeostasis. Moreover, we defined the cholesterol interactome at MAM in AD cellular models to pinpoint druggable targets and understand the molecular consequences of MAM alteration.

Overall, we present a novel framework for AD pathogenesis that can be linked to the many complex alterations that occur during disease progression, and that may open a door to new therapeutic strategies.

Speaker: Toby Lawrence
Institution: Centre for Inflammation Biology and Cancer Immunology, King’s College London. London, United Kingdom
Place: CIPF conference room

Abstract:

12:00 – 12:30 Yaiza Mª Arenas

12:30 – 13:00 Marcos Agustina Hernández

Speaker: Marta Cascante
Institution: Integrative Systems Biology, Metabolomics and Cancer Lab, Biomedicine Institute, University of Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain.
Place: CIPF conference room

Abstract:

12:00 – 12:30 Camilla Pegoraro

12:30 – 13:00 Francesca de Angelis

12:00 – 12:30 Paula Doria

12:30 – 13:00 Javier González Fernández

Speaker: Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri
Institution: Physiology, Development and Neuroscience Department, Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge. United Kingdom.
Place: CIPF conference room

Abstract: