How tumor-microenvironment interactions drive or inhibit metastasis

Published on March 31, 2021   34 min

Other Talks in the Series: Periodic Reports: Advances in Clinical Interventions and Research Platforms

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0:00
Hello, I'm Professor Isaac Witz, head of the tumor microenvironment and metastasis research lab at the Shmunis School of Biomedicine & Cancer Research at Tel Aviv University. I am going to talk to you about the role of the microenvironment in the progression of tumor cells towards metastasis. The tumor microenvironment has become a very extensive research area. Any single topic touched upon in this presentation would require a separate lecture. Today's lecture will therefore only be an overview of this multi-disciplinary field.
0:38
To start, let me take you back to the 70s and 80s of the last century. The cancer research field at that time, was dominated by the concept that oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes are the only and exclusive causes of cancer. Let me read you one sentence from a paper published in '83 by Michael Bishop, who together with Harold Varmus was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of oncogenes: "A common set of cellular genes may help to mediate the genesis of all tumors, whatever their cause". Please judge for yourself to what extent you agree with this statement.
1:25
The cancer-centric view did not provide a satisfactory mechanism for the progression towards metastasis. Two leading cancer geneticists, the late Ruth Sager and Bert Vogelstein, raised this important issue.
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How tumor-microenvironment interactions drive or inhibit metastasis

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