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SUMMARY:Exploring and exploiting chromosome repair and segregation mechani
 sms in cancer - Ashok Venkitaraman\, MRC Cancer Cell Unit
DTSTART:20110616T151500Z
DTEND:20110616T170000Z
UID:TALK31369@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator
DESCRIPTION:Although instability in the number and structure of chromosome
 s is a hallmark of cancer cells\, neither its genesis nor its role in carc
 inogenesis is understood. We have previously shown that the inactivation o
 f BRCA2 (a suppressor of breast\, ovarian\, pancreatic and other cancers i
 n humans) leads to spontaneous chromosome instability in dividing cells\, 
 providing a powerful model to explore the connections between chromosomal 
 instability and cancer. I will discuss our recent studies concerning the f
 unctions of BRCA2 in the repair of chromosome breaks by homologous DNA rec
 ombination\, and the completion of chromosome segregation during mitosis\,
  in the context of a new murine model that recapitulates tissue-specific c
 arcinogenesis in BRCA2 mutation carriers. The near-universal occurrence of
  chromosome instability in human cancers suggests avenues for its exploita
 tion in cancer therapy\; I will discuss early results with new approaches 
 to this end.
LOCATION:Max Perutz Lecture Theatre\, Medical Research Council (MRC) (MRC 
 Laboratory of Molecular Biol
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