WEHI Postgraduate Seminar Series hosted by the Education Committee
 

Associate Professor Naiyang Fu

Laboratory Head – Cancer division, WEHI

Wnt/β-Catenin Signalling: From Fundamental Discovery to Translational Medicine

Davis Auditorium

Join via TEAMS

Including Q&A session

Please note this presentation will not be recorded

The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway is one of the most evolutionarily conserved and extensively studied signalling networks in biology. It remains a major focus of both basic and translational research because of its fundamental roles in embryonic development, stem cell biology, tissue regeneration and cancer. This lecture will trace the remarkable scientific journey of Wnt signalling, from its independent discovery through developmental genetics in Drosophila and cancer genetics in mouse mammary tumours to its recognition as a central regulator of cell fate and tissue homeostasis. We will examine the molecular mechanisms underlying canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling, discuss how its activity is precisely regulated during development and regeneration, and explore how its dysregulation contributes to cancer. Particular emphasis will be placed on oncogenic β-catenin mutations and recent advances in directly targeting β-catenin, including targeted protein degradation strategies such as PROTACs. I will also briefly discuss how our laboratory uses advanced mouse genetics and lineage tracing to investigate Wnt/β-catenin signalling in mammary gland and liver development, regeneration and cancer.

Associate Professor Naiyang Fu completed his PhD in molecular and cell biology at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR, Singapore, followed by postdoctoral training in stem cell biology and breast cancer at WEHI. He was an Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School before returning to WEHI as a Laboratory Head and Associate Professor in January 2022.

All welcome!