Speaker: Davis Agus, M.D, is an internationally renowned oncologist who holds the position of Professor of Medicine at the University of Southern California. A true visionary, he has become known as an incisive commentator on cancer research and clinical practice.

Location: NEEB Hall

Date & Time: February 29th, 2012 7:00 pm

Title: The End of Illness

Abstract: Dr. Agus proposes a new “systemic” model of health that will dramatically change not only how we take care of ourselves, but also how we spur the next generation of treatments and, in some instances, cures. It’s like that old saying of having to go to war in order to understand peace. His war on cancer in particular has given him a rare and unique vantage point that he has used to develop this different way of honoring the body’s preferred way of life. His ultimate goal is to teach people how to stave off illness and save their own lives through the tactical strategies of personalized medicine and practical prescriptions that are tailored to their specific needs and bodies.

Beyond Center

Center for the Convergence of Physical Science and Cancer Biology

Arizona State University | P.O. Box 871504 | Tempe, AZ 85287

480.965.3860 | Fax: 480.965.6362

If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Wilber
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Speaker: Carlo Maley, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery, a member of the Thoracic Oncology Program and a Principal Investigator in the Thoracic Oncology Lab and Maley Lab. The UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center has also tapped Dr. Maley to lead a new Center for Evolution and Cancer.

Dr. Maley received his B.A. in computer science and psychology from Oberlin College in 1991 and his M.Sc. in Zoology (evolutionary theory) from University of Oxford in 1993 where he worked with William D. Hamilton. In 1998, Dr. Maley received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT where he worked with Michael Donoghue and Rodney Brooks.

Dr. Maley did his postdoctoral training at the University of New Mexico, mentored by Professor Stephanie Forrest, and at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center by Dr. Brian Reid.

Prior to joining UCSF, Dr. Maley was an assistant professor at the Wistar Institute, and a member of two other graduate programs at the University of Pennsylvania: Genomics and Computational Biology, and Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Location: Biodesign Auditorium

Web Cast: View Web Cast

Date & Time: February 23rd, 2012 12:00 p.m.

Title: Evolution in Cancer: Lessons from Barrett’s Esophagus

Abstract: Neoplastic progression is a process of somatic evolution. Cells mutate and some mutations increase the fitness (survival or reproduction) of the clone, leading to a clonal expansion. The evolutionary theory of cancer is now 36 years old, but the dynamics of the process are still poorly understood. What are the mutation rates for the different kinds of genetic and epigenetic lesions in progression? How many clonal expansions (advantageous mutations) are involved in progression? Can we prevent cancer by slowing the rate of mutations? I will address all of these questions through a new longitudinal study of neoplastic progression in Barrett’s esophagus.

Thank you and if you have questions please contact Amanda Wilber! And don’t forget, coffee will be served!

Amanda Wilber, Center for the Convergence of Physical Science and Cancer Biology

Arizona State University | P.O. Box 871504 | Tempe, AZ 85287

480.965.3860 | Fax: 480.965.6362
email hidden; JavaScript is required

The basis of a new theory of cancer is developed by Paul Davies and Charles Lineweaver in the following paper published in the journal of Physical Biology:

http://cancer-insights.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Cancer-tumors-as-Metazoa-1-0-tapping-genes-of-ancient-ancestors1.pdf

For a popular account, see Paul Davies’ article in The Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9065707/The-final-frontier-in-the-war-on-cancer.html