Tutorial for analysis complex diseases with IPA

Targeting the Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase (PI3K) Pathway in Breast Cancer

This podcast reviews current data related to the phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) pathway, its role in breast cancer, the frequently with which PI3K is aberrant in breast cancer, and the potential clinical implications of using agents that target the PI3K pathway. Jose Baselga is the Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston where he is also Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research interests are in clinical breast cancer and in translational and early clinical research. He conducted the initial clinical trials with the monoclonal antibodies cetuximab and trastuzumab and is leading the clinical development of several new agents including pertuzumab and PI3K inhibitors. His main focus in the laboratory and in the clinic is in the area of novel anti-HER2 agents, in the identification of mechanisms of resistance to anti-HER2 agents and therapeutic approaches to target the PI3K pathway. He is also leading a number of neo-adjuvant trials in breast cancer and has been at the forefront of developing biomarker-based early and translational clinical trials.

Personalized Medicine and Cancer Research

Dr. Sonali Smith discusses personalized medicine and how it is helping shape current and future cancer research. Sonali Smith, MD is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Traditional Therapies to Modern Medicine

Vikas Sukhatme, M.D., Ph.D., presented this lecture as part of the Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture in the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine series. Dr. Sukhatme talks about the availability of existing scientifically promising, affordable, and immediately available medical treatments. Traditional medicines have a long history of use and efficacy and offer viable options in addressing other conditions, including cancer. Among these traditions is lifestyle manipulation, specifically dietary adjustments and stress reduction/control, both of which show promise in treating certain forms of cancer. Though more research is needed, Dr. Sukhatme realizes the importance and benefits of studying existing therapies for application to other medical conditions     Dr. Sukhatme's research has spanned numerous basic science and clinical arenas, including the discovery of a family of mammalian transcription factors induced by extracellular growth and differentiation cues, and studies on the function of several genes important in kidney cancer and in polycystic kidney disease. His major current interest is in tumor metabolism and tumor immunology and on "outside-the-box" approaches to therapies for advanced cancer.  Dr. Sukhatme is the Victor J. Aresty Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Chief Academic Officer and Harvard Faculty Dean for Academic Programs, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.