The eighth Gap Junction webinar was chaired by Dr.Trond Aasen on the 13th of October and focused on the complex role of connexins in cancer. Professor Bruce J. Nicholson from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (USA) presented convincing evidence for the role of connexins and heterocellular communication in the pathobiology of the devastating disease endometriosis, drawing parallels to similar processes occurring during cancer metastasis. The second speaker, Professor Pranela Rameshwar from Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School (USA), provided evidence for the regulation of Cx43 by N-cadherin in breast cancer stem cells. She suggested exploiting this axis to prevent cells from becoming therapy-resistant through dormancy induced by intercellular communication with stromal cells in the bone marrow.
More than 60 people connected to the session via Zoom with some more connecting via Youtube. Many thanks to the keynote speakers for their presentations and to the attendees for making the IGJC webinars a success! We hope to see you online again for the next webinar, scheduled for Wednesday the 10th of November at 17:00 CET.
