In August 2018, three events were held in Iran on clinical biochemistry, molecular biology, cancer/autophagy, laboratory management, and proteomics. On August 25-28 at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, the 15th National Biochemistry Congress and the 6th International Congress on Biochemistry and Molecular Biology were held, gathering together international professors from Canada, USA, Germany, Australia, Italy, France, and Sweden, as well as Iran to discuss mainly the roles of autophagy in cancer therapy. On August 29, a one-day 'Autophagy' symposium was held at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The symposium was a place for specialist talks and discussions on the double-edged role of autophagy in cancer biology, which brought together approximately 200 participants, from basic and clinical fields who are interested in the autophagy field. Furthermore, the opening ceremony for the Autophagy Research Center was held on the same day, and the establishment of the center was announced in Shiraz.
Keywords: Autophagy; cancer stem cells; cell death; cell phenotype; epithelial to mesenchymal transition; salinomycin; statins.