Exploration of the Unknown in the Age of Science

Public Lecture: Exploration of the Unknown in the Age of Science

By Ronald A. DePinho, MD, PhD (hc), DSc (hc) 
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

This public lecture will address the escalating medical, economic, and social challenges posed by an aging world population, highlighting how scientific discovery is illuminating new preventive and curative strategies to mitigate this burden.

The lecture will focus on two areas of scientific and clinical research: pancreatic cancer and neuroscience. In the realm of pancreatic cancer, the lecture will review novel mechanistic insights into oncogenic KRAS and cancer immunity, leading to innovative targeted and immunotherapy combinations that show curative potential in faithful mouse models of the disease.

In neuroscience, the lecture will explore groundbreaking findings on the role of telomerase in regulating gene expression related to aging and age-associated diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease. A novel anti-aging drug, the telomerase-activating compound (TAC), will be discussed. TAC has demonstrated the ability to attenuate aging hallmarks such as senescence and inflammation, stimulate hippocampal neurogenesis, enhance cognition, and improve neuromuscular function. In murine models of Alzheimer's Disease, TAC treatment alleviates brain inflammation, reduces amyloid accumulation, and increases presynaptic vesicle density in axons.

Speaker's Bio

Ronald A. DePinho, M.D. is the past president and distinguished university professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He studied biology at Fordham University, received his M.D. degree with distinction from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and performed his residency and postdoctoral training at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. His research career began at Einstein as the Feinberg Senior Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research and an ACS Research Professor. He then joined the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School where he was the founding Director of the Belfer Institute for Applied Cancer Science. During his 6-year tenure as MD Anderson’s president, Dr. DePinho conceived and launched the Cancer Moon Shots Program, recruited many world-class faculty including its first Nobel, and expanded its global network to reach one-third of the human population.  His research program has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of cancer, aging, and degenerative disorders, and these discoveries have led to clinical advances. He is a leader in the development and use of genetically engineered mouse models for various human cancers including colorectal cancer, pancreas, prostate, GBM, MDS, myeloma, and melanoma. His laboratory defined the role of telomeres and telomerase in cancer, aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease. For his contributions to science and healthcare, Dr. DePinho has received the AACR Clowes Memorial Award, the Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Prize, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Portugal’s Order of Saint James of the Sword, among other awards and honors. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Science, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association of the Advancement of Science, and the American Association of Cancer Research.

Registration

Registration is free but limited to the number of seats available. To secure you spot, please register here.