Unraveling oncogenesis: What makes cancer tick?
Recent discoveries in cancer biology may bring forward an additional collection of tools in physicians’ arsenal of cancer therapeutics. Scientists now know that many cancer-associated mutations affect chromatin regulation and the function of multiprotein transcriptional complexes, which can ultimately lead to cancer development and growth. This knowledge may be used to develop future clinical approaches.

The ASBMB annual meeting is around the corner, and attendees can expect a wide variety of symposia offerings throughout the event. One of the symposia, oncogenic hubs: chromatin regulatory and transcriptional complexes in cancer, will focus on the role of transcriptional dysregulation, histone modification and chromatin regulatory complexes in cancer formation. of Harvard Medical School and of Duke University School of Medicine organized and will lead the session.
Wang, a current Journal of Biological Chemistry editorial board member and 2022 ASBMB Young Investigator Award recipient, said the symposium will focus on cancer but encouraged attendees from all fields to participate in the session.
“These topics can be applied to many other diseases as well,” Wang said.
According to Kadoch, the topics covered at the symposium directly relate to patient care and developing novel therapeutic approaches.
“We’re at a unique moment in time in which the learnings from first-in-class approaches in the clinic are coming back to the bench to inform new questions and propel next-step advances,” Kadoch said. “(We) hope this section of the ASBMB meeting does a good job of covering that.”
Wang added: “(This field) elevates basic science to the translational level to ultimately benefit patients.”
Kadoch and Wang selected a diverse array of speakers who study the role of molecular condensates, extrachromosomal DNA, chromatin regulatory machinery, epigenetics and more in cancer.
“I am particularly excited about the interplay of the speakers within the section and the opportunity for our audiences to take away numerous new approaches to exploring some of the most pressing biological questions relating to oncogenic hubs,” Kadoch said.
Check out the full to get the most out of #ASBMB25.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreFeatured jobs
from the
Get the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Science
Science highlights or most popular articles

How scientists identified a new neuromuscular disease
NIH researchers discover Morimoto–Ryu–Malicdan syndrome, after finding shared symptoms and RFC4 gene variants in nine patients, offering hope for faster diagnosis and future treatments.

Unraveling cancer’s spaghetti proteins
MOSAIC scholar Katie Dunleavy investigates how Aurora kinase A shields oncogene c-MYC from degradation, using cutting-edge techniques to uncover new strategies targeting “undruggable” molecules.

How HCMV hijacks host cells — and beyond
Ileana Cristea, an ASBMB Breakthroughs webinar speaker, presented her research on how viruses reprogram cell structure and metabolism to enhance infection and how these mechanisms might link viral infections to cancer and other diseases.

Understanding the lipid link to gene expression in the nucleus
Ray Blind, an ASBMB Breakthroughs speaker, presented his research on how lipids and sugars in the cell nucleus are involved in signaling and gene expression and how these pathways could be targeted to identify therapeutics for diseases like cancer.

Receptor antagonist reduces age-related bone loss in mice
Receptor antagonist reduces bone loss and promotes osteoblast activity in aging mice, highlighting its potential to treat osteoporosis. Read more about this recent JBC paper.

Engineered fusion protein targets kiwifruit pathogen
Synthetic protein selectively kills kiwifruit pathogen, offering a promising biocontrol strategy for agriculture. Read more about this recent JBC paper.