Friday 6 Nov · 15:00–16:00 60 min On now Finished
Towards the Use of Cannabinoids as Anticancer Agents
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
A large body of evidence has shown that cannabinoids, in addition to their well-known palliative effects on some cancer-associated symptoms, can reduce tumour growth in animal models of cancer. The mechanism of cannabinoid anticancer action relies, at least largely, on the ability of these agents to stimulate autophagy-mediated cancer cell death. Moreover, the combined administration of cannabinoids and temozolomide produces a strong anticancer effect, which correlates with an intense activation of the signalling route that triggers the activation of cytotoxic autophagy. Research conducted in our group has also led to the identification of mechanisms of resistance to cannabinoid anticancer action. All these preclinical findings have facilitated the promotion of several clinical studies aimed at investigating the safety and efficacy of the combined administration of the cannabis-based medicines and temozolomide (TMZ) or TMZ and radiotherapy in GBM. IN this talk I will summarize these findings as well as the future perspectives of research in the cannabinoids and cancer field.
