Harnessing Cell Death Mechanisms in Health and Disease

Cell death and inflammation are closely linked arms of the innate immune response to combat infection and tissue malfunction. While the ability to sense danger is central to any organism’s strategy for maintaining tissue function, uncontrolled or excessive inflammatory responses can cause tissue damage and contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma. Further, tumor cells frequently evade immune detection and elimination by suppressing cell death and innate immune responses. Recent advancements in our understanding of the intricate signals originating from dying cells have revealed that cell death serves as more than just an endpoint. It facilitates the exchange of information between the dying cell and cells of the tissue micro-environment, particularly immune cells, alerting and recruiting them to the site of disturbance. However, not all deaths are suspicious. While different types of cell deaths contribute to tissue homeostasis and defence against pathogens, dysfunctional or mis-timed cell death can lead to developmental abnormalities, immune deficiencies, inflammatory conditions, and cancer. At this conference, we will examine the molecular mechanisms that regulate various cell death processes and how this knowledge can be harnessed to treat immunological disorders, neurodegenerative disease, infections, and cancer.