ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Cancer Epigenetics: New Mechanisms,
New Therapies, organized by Drs. François Fuks and Anne Brunet. The conference will be held February 10-
14, 2018 in Breckenridge, Colorado.
The field of epigenetics has recently emerged as an essential component of oncology research, with altered
epigenetic modifications considered to be critical hallmarks of cancers. Unlike mutations, epigenetic
aberrations are reversible and as a result, epigenetic therapies hold great promise as anti-cancer agents. For
these novel therapies to succeed, a key challenge is to fully understand the nature and the mechanisms that
lead to epigenetic changes in cancer. Another essential challenge is to make sense of the avalanche of data
flowing from increasingly powerful "omics-based" technologies. Despite these challenges, never has the
potential for scientific and clinical breakthroughs in this field been greater. Bringing together both the academic
and the pharmaceutical communities, this Keystone Symposia meeting will focus on: 1) The newest findings on
the mechanisms by which epigenetic pathways are established and maintained in normal and stem cells, and
how these go awry during aging and cancer, with a special emphasis on histone modifications, chromatin
remodeling and the unexpected increased number of DNA modifications ((hydroxy)methylcytosine and
methyladenine); 2) The growing roles of noncoding RNAs in cancer and the emergence of the new and
exciting realm of RNA epigenetics; 3) Use of new omics technologies to interrogate altered epigenetic
landscapes in tumors and assess their clinical implications; and 4) Novel and promising therapeutic drugs
aimed at reversing specific epigenetic alterations. Ultimately, the meeting will provide great opportunities for
senior and junior scientists to meet the leaders in the field from both academia and industry, hence forging
exciting interdisciplinary interactions and creating potential new collaborations in the booming area of cancer
epigenetics.