Description
Homeostatic and pathological cell death can occur through a multiplicity of different mechanisms including apoptosis, autophagy, necrosis and others. The morphological and functional definitions of distinct cell death modalities are emerging, and the relationships between different lethal pathways are being determined. However, the exact nature of the molecular switches that determine which subroutines cells disintegrate are elusive. Moreover, the relative contributions of different cell death modalities to the avoidance of cancer or degenerative diseases remain to be defined. In cancer, in particular, where defects in cell death are prevalent and the survival of undead cells enables progression and treatment resistance, restoration of cell death pathways is an important and achievable therapeutic goal. Finally, distinct cell death modalities may remain immunologically silent or trigger an immune response, through mechanisms that are still elusive. The 2010 Keystone Symposia meeting on Cell Death will address the normal regulation and pathogenic dysfunction of distinct cell death modalities, present new strategies for therapeutic cancer cell induction and address the immunogenicity of distinct cell death types.
