Joint Oncology/IRDB Imperial Seminar Series, Thursday 22.07 2021 @ 15.00, hosted by Professor Ten Feizi.

We are delighted to have Prof Professor Kelly McNagny, from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada talking about his research interests.

In 1998 Professor McNagny started his own laboratory at the University of British Columbia with a primary focus on the biology and function of the CD34 family of stem cell sialomucins. His lab showed that CD34 is the founding member of a 3-gene family (CD34, Podxl and Endgl) that is co-expression by hematopoietic progenitors and vascular tissue, but with a unique distribution on other cell types (CD34 is expressed by mast cells, eosinophils and DC precursors and plays a role in mucosal inflammation, while Podxl is more selectively expressed by embryonic tissues, adult kidney podocytes and a variety of tumor cells). Accordingly, his lab developed a series of genetic tools and disease models to evaluate the function of each of these molecules in settings most likely to reveal their function (mucosal inflammation for CD34 and kidney disease and cancer for Podxl). In aggregate these studies have revealed these molecules to be key blockers of adhesion and regulators of cell migration and invasion. Podxl, in particular, plays a critical role in tumor progression and metastasis and his lab is evaluating a number of approaches to targeting this protein for therapeutic benefit.

Dr McNagny is a Full Professor in the Departments of Medical Genetics and Biomedical Engineering and nationally, he fills leadership roles in the Canadian Stem Cell Network Centre of Excellence (NCE) and is Associate Scientific Director of the Canadian AllerGen NCE.

Please join us via the MS Teams link below – no need to register. Please make sure to mute yourself when entering.  We would like to encourage attendees to turn on their cameras and unmute themselves when asking questions.