Hypoxia and Hypoxia-Inducible Factors in Disease

Location
Hornton Grange, Leamington Room
Dates
Wednesday 28 May 2014 (09:00-17:00)
infected hepatocytes
Workshop Leaders: Dr. Daniel A Tennant (Cancer Sciences) and Professor Jane McKeating (Immunity and Infection).

The cellular response to low oxygen (hypoxia) is central to our survival as multicellular organisms, both in normal physiological processes and in response to trauma and disease. However, we understand only a fraction of how this response is co-ordinated.

Hypoxic phenotypes are observed in diverse pathologies including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnoea and inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Indeed, even standard clinical procedures that rely on cessation or reduction in the blood supply, such as surgery or organ transplantation, elicit a hypoxic response in the tissue. Recent studies show that several viral pathogens hijack the hypoxia signaling network and this may play an active role in viral-associated pathologies and provide new therapeutic targets. The cellular phenotype elicited by hypoxia represents a common link between all of these diseases.

This workshop aims to promote the development of new ideas between research groups into strong funding applications to develop a new understanding of hypoxia biology and disease pathogenesis.