There has long been a connection between proteases and cancer biology, since these enzymes can endow tumour cells with the ability to invade and metastasize, or spread through the body. However, we now know that proteases are involved in a host of subtle regulatory mechanisms that determine the extracellular environment, and how cells respond to their environments, and in so doing they can control cancer cell growth and death, the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) that supply the growing tumour with nutrients, and also the ability of the immune system to detect cancers. It is this set of protease genes, together with their natural inhibitors, and the proteins with which they interact, that is called the DEGRADOME. We can only now appreciate that any attempt to understand the relevance of proteases in cancer must consider the extraordinary diversity and versatility of these enzymes in different contexts.

This workshop will combine the findings of the EU Framework 6 Programme on the ‘Cancer Degradome’ with those of other colleagues in the field. The focus will be on extracellular proteinases and their status as markers and therapeutic targets in cancer. The use of novel techniques to study aspects of their in vitro and in vivo functions will be a particular focus.

Organized by Gillian Murphy, Hideaki Nagase, Dylan Edwards, the Cancer Degradome Symposium will be held at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, UK on the 8-9 October 2008.

Topics will include:
- The status of proteinases as targets in Cancer
- Model systems to study the role of proteinases
- In vivo imaging
- In vitro Biology and Imaging
- Multifarious roles of proteinases
- Novel translational studies
- Cell Biology

Invited speakers:
- Alicia Arroyo (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Madrid)
- Carl Blobel (Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York)
- Matthew Bogyo (Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine)
- Thomas H. Bugge (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Bethesda)
- Vincent Dive (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Saclay)
- Suzanne Eccles (Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton)
- Yoshifumi Itoh (Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Imperial College London)
- Achim Krüger (Technical University of Munich)
- Fertilizing impact of MMP-9-dependent alterations in bone marrow homeostasis on seeding of tumor cells to the liver
- Carlos Lopez-Otin (University Institute of Oncology, Oviedo)
- Agnès Noël (Université de Liège)
- Yasunori Okada (Keio University, Tokyo)
- Thomas Reinheckel (Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg)
- Paul Saftig (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel)
- Bonnie Sloane (Wayne State University, Detroit)
- Katarina Wolf (Nijmegen Centre for Life Sciences)

Abstracts for poster presentation are invited. Those which most closely fit within the topics of the meeting will be selected.
- Deadline for poster abstracts: August 4, 2008

The registration fee is fully inclusive of:
- attendance at sessions (plenary & poster)
- lunch and refreshments
- drinks reception
- conference materials, including book of abstracts

Student and group registration fees are available for this meeting.

For futher information and to register please visit the Cancer Degradome Symposium website (www.abcam.com/degradome).