The role of autophagy in cancer â characterization of crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy; autophagy as a new therapeutic strategy in glioblastoma

Abstract

The Noble Assembly decided to award the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Yoshinori Ohsumi for his discoveries of mechanisms of autophagy, a  fundamental process for degrading and recycling cellular components. His discoveries opened a path to understanding the fundamental importance of autophagy in many physiological processes, such as adaptation to starvation or response to infection. Mutations in autophagy genes can cause disease, and the autophagic process is involved in several conditions including cancer and neurological disease. It shows the importance of autophagy research, as many questions remain open. The main aim of our research presented here was to better understand the role of autophagy in cancer. Here, we present articles concerning correct monitoring autophagy in cancer cells, characterization of the molecular links between autophagy and apoptosis and analysis of autophagy as a new therapeutic strategy in glioma.