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J Med Oncl Ther 2017 | Volume 2 Issue 4
Oncology and Biomarkers Summit
November 27-28, 2017 | Atlanta, USA
Annual Congress on
Identification of novel tumor suppressor through methods of reverse genetics
Zhenglun Zhu
Harvard Medical School, USA
I
dentifying novel tumor suppressor holds the promise for
improving cancer treatment. Forward genetic screening has
been the primary method for identifying tumor suppressors
and oncogenes. While, the potential of reverse genetics in
deciphering genes critical for tumorigenesis has been widely
expected, the application of the approaches has reminded
limited. By exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying
dorsoventral axis formation during early vertebrate
embryogenesis, we identified the human homeobox protein
VentX as a novel tumor suppressor. We demonstrated that
VentX exerts its function through mechanisms of anti-
proliferation and pro-differentiation. Importantly, we found
that VentX expression can be induced by chemotherapeutic
agents and caused apoptosis of cancer cells in p53-
independent manner. Taken together, our study revealed
the application of reverse genetics in identifying novel tumor
suppressors, and the role of VentX as a novel therapeutic
target in cancer treatment.
Speaker Biography
Zhenglun Zhu is an expert in Fundamental Biology and Translational Medicine. He is
an elected member of the prestigious American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
Dr. Zhu discovered novel principle governing cell fate determination during early
embryogenesis and translated the principle into identifying novel tumor suppressor.
e:
zzhu@partners.org