Conny Tümmler disputerer for ph.d.-graden i Helsevitenskapelige fag og vil offentlig forsvare avhandlingen:
“Novel Inflammatory Mediators in Neuroblastoma Tumorigenesis”
Kort populærvitenskapelig sammendrag av avhandlingen:
Inflammation is an important part of the immune system’s defense mechanisms against injury, infection, and malignant cells. However, cancer cells can also take advantage of inflammatory signals and processes to support their growth and avoid destruction by the immune system. The focus of this work was to discover novel inflammatory mediators in neuroblastoma, a cancer of early childhood. The first study describes how the multifunctional protein chemerin, and its receptor CMKLR1, can support neuroblastoma growth. The second study demonstrates that inhibition of SYK, a protein involved in transmitting signals inside the cell, could support the efficacy of conventional anti-cancer drugs in neuroblastoma. Interleukins are molecules that mediate communication between cells and the third study examines the role of the interleukin 17 family in neuroblastoma. This thesis contributes to understanding the biology of neuroblastoma, a prerequisite to develop new therapeutic approaches.
Veiledere
Hovedveileder professor Baldur Sveinbjørnsson
Biveileder professor Ugo Moens
Biveileder professor Inigo Martinez
Bedømmelseskomiteen
Professor Holger Lode, University Medicine Greifswald, Tyskland – 1. opponent
Professor Marie Arsenian Henriksson, Karolinska Insitutet, Sverige, - 2. opponent
Professor Tor Stuge, Institutt for medisinsk biologi, Det helsevitenskapelige fakultet, UiT Norges arktiske universitet – leder av komité
Disputasleder
Professor Lill-Tove Rasmussen, Institutt for medisinsk biologi, Det helsevitenskapelige fakultet, UiT Norges arktiske universitet
Prøveforelesning over oppgitt emne holdes kl. 10.15, samme sted:” Status and perspectives of immunotherapy in childhood cancer”