From developmental transcription factors to cancer therapeutics: An endothelial-targeted molecular strategy to improve the management of vascular neoplasms

Guest speaker Associate Professor Mathias Francois from Centenary Institute.

Mathias will be presenting From developmental transcription factors to cancer therapeutics: An endothelial-targeted molecular strategy to improve the management of vascular.

Wednesday 12 May, 9.30-10.30am, via Zoom: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/87290870421

Mathias Francois’s Bio: Associate Professor Francois, heads the David Richmond Laboratory for Cardiovascular Development: Gene Regulation and Editing at the Centenary Institute. He leads a research team with a focus on identifying new and innovative therapeutic approaches targeting vascular disease. His research focuses on the transcriptional control of endothelial cell specification with a major discovery identified a role for Sox18 transcription factor as a molecular switch that controls lymphatic vessel development (lymphangiogenesis) in the embryo and also during cancer metastasis. Based on this finding, he has developed a novel approach combining developmental genetics, tumour biology and drug discovery to target transcription factors with small molecule inhibitors, peptide mimetic and antibodies with the aim of discovering a new class of anti-angiogenic drugs.