This seminar is part of the GHUCCTS KL2 Visiting Scholars Seminar Series. Jiong Li, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Virginia Commonwealth in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. Dr. Li will discuss "Targeting FOSL1-Super-enhancers Eliminates Cancer Stem Cells in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma."

ABSTRACT: Although significant progress has been made in understanding the self-renewal and pro-tumorigenic potentials of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in HNSCC, a key challenge remains on how to eliminate CSCs and halt metastasis effectively. We show that FOSL1-Super-Enhancers (FOSL1-SE) play a critical role in the transcription of cancer stemness and prometastatic genes, thereby controlling the tumorigenic potential and metastasis of HNSCC CSCs. Targeting FOSL1-SEs with specific small molecule inhibitors eliminates CSCs and suppresses tumorigenesis and metastasis of HNSCC. Our study suggests that FOSL1-SEs may serve as novel and effective therapeutic targets for eliminating CSCs, and our novel FOSL1 inhibitors may be tailored for clinical intervention.