Aug
13
Tue
2013
Invited Talk: Interrogating Signaling Networks at the Single Cell Level in Primary Human Patient Samples @ Acharya Hall
Aug 13 @ 10:52 am – 11:22 am

MIchelleMichelle Hermiston, MD, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics University of California San Francisco, USA


Interrogating Signaling Networks at the Single Cell Level In Primary Human Patient Samples

Multiparameter phosphoflow cytometry is a highly sensitive proteomic approach that enables monitoring of biochemical perturbations at the single cell level. By combining antisera to cell surface markers and key intracellular proteins, perturbations in signaling networks, cell survival and apoptosis mediators, cell cycle regulators, and/or modulators of other cellular processes can be analyzed in a highly reproducible and sensitive manner in the basal state and in response to stimulation or drug treatment. Advantages of this approach include the ability to identify the biochemical consequences of genetic and/or epigenetic changes in small numbers of cells, to map potential interplay between various signaling networks simultaneously in a single cell, and to interrogate potential mechanisms of drug resistance or response in a primary patient sample. Application of this technology to patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) will be discussed.

 

 

Invited Talk: From Camels to Worms: Novel Approaches for Drug Discovery in Parkinson’s Disease. @ Acharya Hall
Aug 13 @ 3:02 pm – 3:23 pm

TimGuilliamsTim Guilliams, Ph.D.
Junior Associate Fellow at the Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge


From Camels to Worms: Novel Approaches for Drug Discovery in Parkinson’s Disease

The discovery of novel treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, represents one of the biggest scientific challenges of the 21st century. The development of new tools and models to study the mechanisms underlying neurotoxicity is therefore essential. During my talk, I will outline new strategies for drug design and innovation used during my PhD at the University of Cambridge, which include the combination of fluorescent nematode worms, camelid antibody fragment technology and chemical compounds. These novel approaches will help us to gain insights into the key pathogenic steps involved in Parkinson’s disease and potentially lead to new therapeutic strategies.