Role of Inflammation in Oncogenesis

Keystone Symposia, Silverthorne CO

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is to request support for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Role of Inflammation in Oncogenesis, organized by Nina Bhardwaj and Giorgio Trinchieri, which will be held in Keystone, Colorado from February 7 - 12, 2010. Cancer is characterized by accelerated and uncontrolled growth, dysregulation of apoptosis, invasion and metastasis. While genetic and epigenetic mechanisms may underlie transformation, the tumor microenvironment promotes the neoplastic process. Chronic inflammation and infection, in particular, are linked to the development of cancer. Examples include the association between inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer, Helicobacter pylori infection with gastric cancer and HPV with cervical cancer. This meeting will focus specifically on mechanisms of inflammation-induced carcinogenesis, and will bring together investigators with diverse interests and expertise - immunology, signal transduction, cancer biology and therapeutics. It is anticipated that the pairing with the concurrent Keystone Symposia meeting on Molecular and Cellular Biology of Immune Escape in Cancer will attract a large body of scientists who share a common interest in cancer pathogenesis, inflammation and mechanisms underlying immune evasion. The goal of the meeting is to enhance discussion, foster collaborations, report on new paradigms, and ultimately to develop approaches that will modulate inflammation-associated tumor progression.