Professor Sir Philip Cohen gives talk in Parliament
On the evening of August 16th Philip Cohen gave the closing lecture of the 8th International Workshop on Waldenstrom's Lymphoma in the Churchill rooms of the Houses of Parliament in London.
Waldenstrom's lymphoma is caused by mutations in the protein MyD88, and 95% of the patients who are afflicted by this disease express the same mutant in which the leucine residue at position 265 is changed to proline. MyD88 is an essential adaptor protein in the signalling networks that are triggered by the binding of bacterial and viral components to Toll-Like Receptors or by the interaction of interleukins 1, 18 and 33 with their receptors.
Philip's talk, to an audience that mainly comprised patients with Waldenstrom's lymphoma, their physicians, relatives and friends, focused on how MyD88 was discovered, and its key role in the innate immune system that is vital for protection against infection by microbial pathogens, especially during childhood. He also explained how the hyper-activation of the MyD88-dependent signalling network can lead to autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, and how its constitutive activation caused by the MyD88[Leu265Pro] mutation leads to lymphoma.
The talk was followed by a formal dinner in the Churchill rooms, at which Philip and Tricia Cohen were the guests of honour.
Waldenstrom's lymphoma is caused by mutations in the protein MyD88, and 95% of the patients who are afflicted by this disease express the same mutant in which the leucine residue at position 265 is changed to proline. MyD88 is an essential adaptor protein in the signalling networks that are triggered by the binding of bacterial and viral components to Toll-Like Receptors or by the interaction of interleukins 1, 18 and 33 with their receptors.
Philip's talk, to an audience that mainly comprised patients with Waldenstrom's lymphoma, their physicians, relatives and friends, focused on how MyD88 was discovered, and its key role in the innate immune system that is vital for protection against infection by microbial pathogens, especially during childhood. He also explained how the hyper-activation of the MyD88-dependent signalling network can lead to autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, and how its constitutive activation caused by the MyD88[Leu265Pro] mutation leads to lymphoma.
The talk was followed by a formal dinner in the Churchill rooms, at which Philip and Tricia Cohen were the guests of honour.