Workshop Details
YAP/TAZ and TEAD: At the Crossroads of Cancer (In-person participation)
06/06/2022 - 06/10/2022
Meeting Description:

Purpose: TAZ (transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif) was originally identified as a transducer of the Hippo signaling pathway that controls organ size and is now recognized as an important contributor to many types of cancer. TAZ responds to variety of cell signals including G-protein coupled receptors, extracellular mechanical stress, classical kinase cascades and metabolic context. TAZ interacts with TEAD transcription factors and DNA gene expression enhancers to initiate a complex transcriptional program that promotes cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis. TAZ is also potentially involved in a variety of other pathologic states, especially involving fibrosis, such as pulmonary hypertension and emphysema. Eighty years ago Otto Warburg identified a preference among cancer cells to use aerobic glycolysis and this phenomenon is once again a topic of growing interest. Glycolytic flux has recently been identified as important to TAZ activity as well as the pathologic angiogenesis and vessel growth commonly seen in cancers.

The proposed workshop will bring together scientists interested in the diverse responses and cellular effects of YAP/TAZ with the goals of 1) integrating work currently done in separate scientific silos; 2) identifying novel paths to regulating expression and effects of TAZ and 3) identifying potential biomarkers of YAP/TAZ activity. We hope that collaborations stimulated by this workshop will lead to new potential treatments for YAP/TAZ-driven cancers.

2022 Eaton Foundation Fellow: Ryan Kanai
2022 EHE Foundation & CRAVAT Fellow: Karin Schlegelmilch

Notes:

Registration fees for this workshop have been generously sponsored by the Richard Eaton Foundation, the CRAVAT Foundation, and the University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Anesthesiology. This sponsorship covers workshop expenses as well as the cost of five breakfasts, a Wednesday-night BBQ picnic, and all the snacks you can eat. All participants are responsible for their own lodging and travel expenses.

We wish to ensure an intimate workshop setting, with no more than 20 to 25 participants. If you are interested in attending, but have not received an invitation, please contact the workshop organizer before registering.

TSRC is about expanding the frontiers of science, exploring new ideas, and building collaborations. The workshop schedule will allow for substantial unstructured time for participants to talk and think. All participants are expected to stay for the entire duration of the workshop. Scientists are encouraged to consider bringing family or friends. Telluride offers a number of options for children's camps (including Telluride Academy, Ah Haa School for the Arts, and Pinhead Institute). There is more information on childcare, camps, and family activities on TSRC's website at https://www.telluridescience.org/travel/families. Please contact Cindy Fusting at cindy@telluridescience.org for more information.

Meeting Venue:

Telluride Intermediate School
725 West Colorado Ave Telluride, CO 81435

YAP/TAZ and TEAD: At the Crossroads of Cancer (In-person participation) Registered Meeting Participants:
Participant Organization
Hong, Wanjin Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Kanai, Ryan Albany Medical College
Kapus, Andras Keenan Researh Centre
Lamar, John Albany Medical College
Pendergast, Ann Marie Duke University
Schlegelmilch, Karin The Francis Crick Institute
Seavey, Caleb N Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Tang, Tracy Vivace Therapeutics
Varelas, Bob Boston University
Weinberg, Guy University of Illinois
Yuen, Darren Unity Health Toronto
Zhang, Jianmin Roswell Park Cancer Institute

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