Role of heat shock transcription factor HSF1 in tumorigenesis

Therapeutic exploitation of oncogene addiction has become a central aim of modern cancer therapy, but effective targeted therapies for aggressive cancer types including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are lacking. In this proposal, a collaborating team of experts will investigate whether a valid approach for therapeutic interventions in HCC can be based on a strategy to inhibit supportive non-­oncogene addiction pathways, interfering with tumor-­promoting metabolic reprogramming and improving the predicted power of anti-­tumor immunity through depletion of Hsf1. This research will provide the rationale to develop novel strategies to prevent, and perhaps treat, cancers, including HCC, that arise on the background of chronic hepatic injury due to impaired liver metabolism, protein homeostasis and suppression of anti-­tumor immunity.