Histone Modifications in Therapy

Pedro Castelo Branco completed his doctorate in molecular biology at Oxford University in 2005, followed by post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard University and the University of Toronto. Since 2014 he is a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine and head of the Epigenetics in Human Disease laboratory , at the University of the Algarve. His scientific interests include the identification of specific epigenetic signatures throughout carcinogenesis and targeted methylation/demethylation as a therapeutic approach. Dr. Carmen Jerónimo is the Head of the Cancer Biology & Epigenetics Group at the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto) & Invited Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar - University of Porto. She obtained her PhD in Biomedical Sciences (2001) and Habilitation in Pathology and Molecular Genetics (2011) from the University of Porto. Her PhD project was carried out at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Baltimore, USA. From 2002 until 2007, she was a Post-doctoral Fellow and Invited Researcher at IPO Porto and JHU (2003). Her current research characterizes the epigenome of tumor cells, through the establishment of the profile of DNA methylation, of histone modifications and alteration patterns of miRNA, of genes related to tumorigenesis and the identification of functional changes involved in the breakdown of cell epigenetic homeostasis. Dr. Jerónimo has authored or co-authored more than 160 international scientific publications, including 4 book chapters and several review articles. She has supervised 3 PhD theses and 30 Master dissertations and collaborated in a patent submission (Methods and biomarkers for detection of bladder cancer US 20130210011/ EP 2630261 A1/ WO 2012052844 A1).

1. Histone modifications in diseases

Section I Targeting histone modifications for cancer treatment 2. HDAC inhibitors in cancer therapy 3. HAT inhibitors in cancer therapy 4. Targeting DOT1L for mixed-lineage rearranged leukemia 5. BET mechanisms in cancer 6. Histone demethylase inhibitors and their potential in cancer treatment 7. Targeting chromatin remodelers in urological tumors

Section II Targeting histone modifications for infectious disease 8. The therapeutic potential of epigenetic manipulation during infectious diseases 9. Targeting histone deacetylases for bacterial infections 10. Targeting histone epigenetics to control viral infections

Section III Targeting histone modifications for treating other pathologies 11. Targeting histone modifications in psychotic disorders 12. Epigenetic treatment of neurodegenerative diseases 13. Histone modification as a potential preventative and therapeutic approach for cardiovascular disease 14. The potentiality of histone deacetylase inhibitors for diabetes and obesity 15. Targeting histone modifications in cancer immunotherapy 16. Epigenetic drug development for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases 17. Future perspectives for targeting histone modifications in therapy