Stressed out? The cancer playbook may help
We often associate the concept of stress with deadlines, emergencies, traffic or hardships. For those who study biological and biochemical processes of disease in cell and organismal models, the idea of stress adaptation is recognized as one mechanism by which malignant and nonmalignant cells survive and thrive within environments that, at times, are hostile.
Are there ways that we think about environmental stress adaptations at an organismal level that may help scientists develop new perspectives on combatting cancer to improve patient outcomes? Indeed, cancer cells may even engage in molecular decision-making activities that differentiate between fight-or-flight responses in the face of environmental stress.
Submit an abstract
Abstract submission begins Sept. 14. If you submit by Oct. 12, you'll get a decision by Nov. 1. The regular submission deadline is Nov. 30. See the categories.
This session will consider the mechanisms by which cancer cells adapt to intrinsic and extrinsic stressors and how defining these adaptative mechanisms may lead to improved treatment strategies. Topics will include nutrient access/use, aging, subcellular compartments, microenvironmental influences and tissue reprogramming.
Keywords: Cancer biology, molecular crosstalk, biochemical signaling, tissue homeostasis, aging, subcellular transport, local and global adaptations, tumor microenvironment.
Who should attend: Cancer researchers, cell biologists and biochemists interested in considering how aging, biochemistry and multi-scale adaptations cooperate to shape the stress landscapes of tumors.
Theme song: “Stressed Out” by A Tribe Called Quest
This session is powered by cortisol and catecholamines.
Stress adaptations in tumor progression
Jonathan Kelber (chair), Baylor University
Elda Grabocka, Thomas Jefferson University
Christina Towers, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Mark LaBarge, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Science
Science highlights or most popular articles
Teaching AI to listen
A computational medicine graduate student reflects on building natural language processing tools that extract meaning from messy clinical notes — transforming how we identify genetic risk while redefining what it means to listen in science.
Early lipid changes drive retinal degeneration in Zellweger spectrum disorder
Lipid profiling in a rare disease mouse model reveals metabolic shifts and inflammation in the retinal pigment epithelium — offering promising biomarker leads to combat blindness.
How sugars shape Marfan syndrome
Research from the University of Georgia shows that Marfan syndrome–associated fibrillin-1 mutations disrupt O glycosylation, revealing unexpected changes that may alter the protein's function in the extracellular matrix.
What’s in a diagnosis?
When Jessica Foglio’s son Ben was first diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the label didn’t feel right. Whole exome sequencing revealed a rare disorder called Salla disease. Now Jessica is building community and driving research for answers.
Peer through a window to the future of science
Aaron Hoskins of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Sandra Gabelli of Merck, co-chairs of the 2026 ASBMB annual meeting, to be held March 7–10, explain how this gathering will inspire new ideas and drive progress in molecular life sciences.
Glow-based assay sheds light on disease-causing mutations
University of Michigan researchers create a way to screen protein structure changes caused by mutations that may lead to new rare disease therapeutics.