Stressed out? The cancer playbook may help

We often associate the concept of stress with deadlines, emergencies, traffic or hardships. For those who study biological and biochemical processes of disease in cell and organismal models, the idea of stress adaptation is recognized as one mechanism by which malignant and nonmalignant cells survive and thrive within environments that, at times, are hostile.

Are there ways that we think about environmental stress adaptations at an organismal level that may help scientists develop new perspectives on combatting cancer to improve patient outcomes? Indeed, cancer cells may even engage in molecular decision-making activities that differentiate between fight-or-flight responses in the face of environmental stress.

This session will consider the mechanisms by which cancer cells adapt to intrinsic and extrinsic stressors and how defining these adaptative mechanisms may lead to improved treatment strategies. Topics will include nutrient access/use, aging, subcellular compartments, microenvironmental influences and tissue reprogramming.

Keywords: Cancer biology, molecular crosstalk, biochemical signaling, tissue homeostasis, aging, subcellular transport, local and global adaptations, tumor microenvironment.

Who should attend: Cancer researchers, cell biologists and biochemists interested in considering how aging, biochemistry and multi-scale adaptations cooperate to shape the stress landscapes of tumors.

Theme song: “Stressed Out” by A Tribe Called Quest

This session is powered by cortisol and catecholamines.

Stress adaptations in tumor progression

Jonathan Kelber (chair), Baylor University

Elda Grabocka, Thomas Jefferson University

Christina Towers, Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Mark LaBarge, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope