PI3-Kinase in Metabolic Homeostasis and Tumour Progression

11th October 2018.  
Giovanni Solinas, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

On the 11th of October 2018 Giovanni Solinas, of the Institute of Medicine of the University of Gothenburg Sweden, will give a seminar on PI3-Kinase in Metabolic Homeostasis and Tumour Progression at 2.00 pm in the College lecture theatre.  In his talk G Solinas will discuss the multiple and pivotal role of PI3-kinase in cell behaviour and a major role in cancer progression. All College students are invited to attend, especially those reading Medicine, Biology, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The poster of the lecture can be downloaded here.

Abstract
Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K) play a central role in signal transduction from different receptors, including growth factor receptors and the insulin receptor. PI3K signaling is frequently activated in most cancer types, as it is driven by most frequent driver genetic alterations in cancer. However, targeting PI3K signaling in cancer has been problematic, and most pan-PI3K inhibitors showed limited therapeutic index in cancer therapy. It was proposed that this is due to the role of PI3K signaling in the metabolic action of insulin. Indeed, PI3K inhibition causes insulin resistance leading to hyperglycemia and compensatory hyperinsulinemia that reactivates PI3K signaling in insulin-sensitive cancer cells. Our work aims at defining the role of specific PI3K isoforms in insulin signaling and tumor promotion, with the aim of developing novel therapies for cancer and obesity by targeting selected PI3K isoforms. 

Biography
Giovanni Solinas is a Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Institute of Medicine of the University of Gothenburg Sweden, and a principal investigator at the Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research. His research focuses on the study of the signaling pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases and in particular type-2 diabetes and cancer. Most notable contributions are the identifications of specific inflammatory signaling pathways linking obesity and metabolic dysfunctions, and his studies on the role of PI3Kγ signaling in obesity, metabolic inflammation, and glucose homeostasis. Dr Solinas is a peer reviewer for several international funding bodies and scientific journals, he is a member of the editorial board of Molecular Metabolism, and he served as member of the executive committee of the Swiss society for the Study of Obesity and Metabolism.

Reference
The role of PI3Kγ in metabolism and macrophage activation. G Solinas and B Becattini. Oncotarget 2017 (8) 106145-106146

Image
Crystal structure of PI3-kinase in complex with inhibitor. PDB accession: 4j6i.

 

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