Speaker: Professor Alex Toker - Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Abstract:

• The discovery of PI 3K and AKT, and the major enzymes that participate in signal relay will be covered.
• The contribution of PI3K/AKT in cancer phenotypes as well as genetic aberrations in the pathways will be highlighted.
• Genetic models that have been generated as pre-clinical tools will be illustrated.
• Finally, development of drugs that inhibit PI3K and other enzymes in the pathway will be covered, and the failures and recent successes in the clinic for both PI3K, AKT and mTOR inhibitors.
• The lecture will end with an illustration of new drugs in the pharmacology arena, PROTACs or degrader compounds and how specificity can be achieved.