Jan. 29th, 2020 @ 1pm
School of Medicine, Room 032A

Dr. Lev Becker

Assistant Professor, Ben May Department for Cancer Research
University of Chicago

Developing macrophage-based therapies for treating cancer

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most prevalent immune cell in the tumor microenvironment. TAMs adopt an anti-inflammatory M2-like phenotype characterized by increased levels of proteins that promote angiogenesis, attenuate anti-cancer immune responses, and facilitate metastatic dissemination. Studies have shown that blocking M2 activation of TAMs attenuates tumor growth, and increased numbers of M2-like TAMs are associated with poor survival across many cancer types. For these reasons, TAMs are an emerging target for anti-cancer therapy development.

Despite their importance, our ability to exploit TAMs therapeutically has been stymied by an incomplete understanding of targetable pathways underlying their tumor-promoting functions and limitations in technologies for specifically delivering drugs to them. Here we will discuss novel approaches for overcoming these barriers.

Feb. 5th, 2020 @ 1pm
School of Medicine, Room 032A

Dr. Matthew Macauley

Assistant Professor, Chemistry, Medical Microbiology & Immunology
University of Alberta

Siglec-Glycan Interactions: Biochemical Approaches and Immunological Significance

Siglecs are a family of carbohydrate (glycan) binding proteins expressed on white blood cells that have immunomodulatory properties. Siglec-glycan interactions help maintain immune homeostasis and dysregulation of Siglec-glycan interactions have recently been implicated in cancer, neurodegeneration, and autoimmunity. The importance of Siglec-glycan interactions in human health and disease has motivated us to develop genetic, biochemical, and chemical approaches to better understand the glycans ligands of Siglecs. I will discuss our ongoing efforts in this area, with a focus on Siglec-3 (CD33) as a susceptibility locus in Alzheimer’s disease.

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Exit Seminar

Ping Yu Xiong
Thur. February 27th @ 1:30 p.m.
Botterell Hall, Room 449
Topic: Right heart adaptation to pressure and volume overload: epidemiology, animal models, and molecular mechanisms

Effective immediately, all PhD Oral Examinations will be OPEN.  The examination may be switched to CLOSED for substantive reasons only, such as protection of sensitive data or major disability issues.  If a student wishes to have a CLOSED examination, they must apply to the Associate Dean of Graduate Students (Dr. Kim McAuley) for permission.

All PhD examinations in DBMS will be announced on the DBMS website, in addition to the Gazette.  Students are encouraged to attend theses examinations in order to gather an understanding of the process and to support their peers.

Room bookings do not need to take into consideration the audience size.  It is up to the Chair to decide how many bodies the room may accommodate at the time of the examination.  All audience members will be asked to vacate the room when the Candidate is asked to leave so that the confidential nature of the examiners’ discussion can be maintained.

Students undergoing MSc Oral Examinations are encouraged to consider an OPEN format, but should consult with their supervisor and may decide upon a CLOSED format without any penalty.  All examinations will be announced on the DBMS website.

PhD Oral Thesis Examination

Ping Yu Xiong
Wed. March 4th, 2020 @ 10 a.m.
QCPU Conference Room
Thesis Topic: Right heart adaptation to pressure and volume overload: epidemiology, animal models, and molecular mechanisms