Clinical Oncology and Molecular Diagnostics

David I Smith received his Ph.D. In 1978 from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in Biochemistry. After postdoctoral training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of California, Irvine, he got his first faculty position at Wayne State University. Since 1996 he has been a full Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Clinic. He is also the Chairman of the Technology Assessment Group for the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. His research focuses on genomic instability and the role that the common fragile sites play in cancer development. His group is also studying the different ways that human papilloma virus is involved in the development of different cancers. They utilize the powerful tool of next generation sequencing the study these problems.

DNA sequencing revolution

Philippe METELLUS is Professor of Neurosurgery at the Clairval Hospital Center in Marseille, France. He is specialized in brain tumors and is the actual leader of the Glioma and the Brain Metastases program in France. Besides his clinical activity, he is running translational and basic science research program in the INSERM UMR 911 unit. His clinical and research activities are focused on Gliomas and Brain Metastases. A surgical research program on gliomas located in eloquent areas including awake craniotomies with electroencephalographic recordings has been developed with his neurological team in 2011. Also, a translational research program on Gliomas and Brain Metastases biology is conducted with the oncological transfer laboratory at the Aix-Marseille University. These programs involve a multi-disciplinary brain tumor consortium including, Neurologists, Neuro-Oncologists, Medical-Oncologists, Radiation-Oncologists, Neuro-Radiologists, Pathologists and the translational oncology university platform. Since 2011, Prof. Metellus organizes the Annual Brain Metastases Research and Emerging Therapies Conference in Marseille.

Brain Metastases Research

Juan Pablo Marquez Manriquez is a Medical Oncologist with training in Mexico, California and Seattle, Washington. His passion for Immunology and Oncology emerged from the very early stages of his life, as he prepared in pre-medicine by studying first Pharmaceutical Chemist Biologist and later medicine.He is currently developing projects for the prevention of gastrointestinal cancer in the CICS USA Seattle campus. He is currently specializing in the prevention of recurrence of tumors of high clinical impact such as ovary, triple negative breast, inflammatory breast, colorectal and multiple myeloma.Since 2002, he has presented scientific papers at multiple international congresses, led by AACR, ASCO, AAI, SITC and ESMO. He worked as a medical doctor at the Tumor Vaccine Group of the University of Washington.Dr. Márquez Manríquez is Director General of the Cancer Research Center in Sonora (CICS) both at the Ciudad Obregón Sonora campus and at the Seattle Washington campus (CICS USA), although his base is in Seattle. In coordination with CICS and various institutions at the international level, CICS is developing through the investigations of Dr. Juan Pablo Márquez and CICS scientific medical team preventive vaccines to prevent cancer and its recurrences. They are also generating the combination of therapies that will allow for longer remissions and fewer recurrences for different types of tumors.

clinical immunomodulation, classical cytotoxic chemotherapy, immunogenic chemotherapy and stroma immunology

Young Rok, Do is awarded PhD in Internal Medicine from Keimyung University, Taegu, Korea in the 2004. He has extended his valuable service as an Associate Professor in Keimyung University for 5 years and has been a recipient of many award and grants. Currently, he is working as an Professor at Keimyung University School of Medicine. He serves as a member of various associations- Korean Medical Association, Korean Cancer Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology and APBMT. His clinical and research interest focusing on Acute Leukemia, Including Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and CML, Clinical Trial including TFR. His research interests reflect in his wide range of publications in various national and international journals.

CML Clinical Trial including TFR, NHL Including New Drug Clinical Trial, Multiple Myeloma Including New Drug Clinical Trial, Acute Leukemia Including Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Gauchers Disease

Dr. Qing Kay Li is an associate professor of department of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She has the American Board of Pathology certification in surgical and cytopathology. Her clinical expertise include surgical pathology, cytopathology, and oncological pathology. Dr. Li is also a PI at the Johns Hopkins Biomarker Discovery Center. Her research interests is focusing on the application of advanced molecular techniques to the field of cancer biology, particularly in the field of early detection of lung and prostate cancer. Dr. Li serves as editorial board members for several journals; committee members of the American Society of Cytopathology, Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology, NIH/NCI lung cancer, and kidney cancer working group; study sections of government agents and private organizations. She has more than 120 publications, including several book chapters and books. She has served as a keynote speaker at many national and international meetings.

oncological pathology

Dr. Sebastian is the Director of NCI funded Research Histology Pathology & Imaging Core in MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) which supports both translational research and drug development programs for multiple institutions in the country. He is an Associate Prof in the Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis of MDACC. He is a board certified pathologist and toxicologist with more than 20 years of experience in both academia and drug industry. After completing his PhD and residency in pathology from University of Kentucky, Dr. Sebastian held faculty positions in in University of Georgia, Cornell University and Columbia University, where he was the Chief of Comparative Pathology. After working 6 years in biotech industry, in August 2016, Sebastian was recruited to MDACC. Dr. Sebastian was/is a Co-PI of multiple federally funded grants from NIH and BARDA. His primary focus is translational research in cancer with special interest in cancer drug discovery and development, safety evaluation and regulatory approval.

Cancer drug discovery and development

Dr. Wang received his M.D. from Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology in 1987 and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Texas (UT) Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (Houston, TX) in 1999. He did his residency at the UT Medical School (Houston) from 1999 to 2003 and his fellowship in Selective Surgical Pathology at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) from 2003 to 2004. In July 2004, Dr. Wang joined the Department of Pathology at MDACC as an assistant professor specialized in gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic pathology. He is currently a tenured professor of pathology with joint appointment as a professor in the Department of Translational Molecular Pathology (MDACC) and at UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston. Dr. Wang is the co-director of pancreatic cancer tumor bank and serves as the Scientific Advisory Board member for the Sheikh Ahmed Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at UTMDACC. Dr. Wang is well recognized in the field of GI and pancreaticobiliary pathology and in clinical/translational research of pancreatic cancer. His major research interests are focused on tumor biology, animal models, tumor markers for early detection, prognosis, and treatment for pancreatic cancer. Dr. Wang has served as principle investigator (PI), pathology core leaders, co-PI, or co-investigator for more than 35 research grants including NIH/NCI Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) on pancreatic cancer, P01s, U01, R01s, K08, R21s and the Moonshot Program on pancreatic cancer at MDACC. Dr. Wang has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals including Nature, Cell, Nature Communications, Cancer Cell, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA, Gastroenterology, Journal of Clinical Investigation etc., 12 invited review articles and 9 book chapters. He is serving as the editors for 12 prestigious scientific journals and as an ad hoc reviewer for 34 journals. He received many awards for his research, including the Career Development Award from the American Association for Cancer Research. As an expert in GI pathology, he was selected to serve on the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Foregut Task Force for the 7th edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. Dr. Wang was the President of the Chinese American Pathologists Association (CAPA) 2016-2017, which is the largest organization in North America for the pathologists who cherish Chinese culture. Under his strong leadership, CAPA membership grew 42% from 510 to 725 in one year. Dr. Wang is a member of the Publications Committee and a member of the Ramzi S. Cotran Young Investigator Award Committee of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP).

Clinical/translational research of pancreatic cancer

Dr. Reema Al Hayek is a Consultant Pediatric Oncology-Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant. She obtained her bachelor degree in Medicine, (June 1983), she was board certified in Pediatrics (Dec. 1987), Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics (Feb. 1988), Board Certified (DISC) in Pediatric Oncology Sub-Specialty at University of Rene Descartes Paris (June 1991). She obtained as well many other certifications as for the Diploma of Oncologic Pharmacology from the University of Lariboisier, St. Louis, Paris (June 1991), the Diploma in Experimental Hematology (Transfection of Genes and Trans-genesis, and Genotherapy) from the University of Rene Descartes, Paris (June 1991). She obtained the degree of Assistant Professor in Pediatric Oncology University of Paris South (June 1991) and her Executive Master in Health Administration Science in December 2013 During her working years she was assigned to the following administrative positions; Director of Medical Services at KFSHD (2015-now), Director Oncology Center, KFSHD (2010-2015), Founder and Chairwoman of the Pediatric Oncology - Hematology Department, KFSHD ( 2006-2010), Founder and Chairwoman of the department of Pediatric, KFSHD( 2005-2006). She was the Director of the Pediatric Residency Training Program from 1995 for 10 consecutive years and currently is an active member of the fellowship program for the Pediatric Hematology Oncology During her past 25 years of Clinical Experience she has developed a high expertise in Pediatric Oncology Solid Tumors, Benign Hematology and Leukemia, her field of interest in Researches is in the Hodgkin Disease and its specificity in Saudi Arabia mainly in the Eastern Province through an ongoing Epidemiological Study, other fields of interest is in the leukemia and its treatment response and genetic characteristic in Saudi Arabia multicenter study has been published. Monoclonal Target Therapy mainly in refractory or in relapsing Leukemia and in Chemotherapy Resistant Hodgkin Lymphoma and Multidrug Resistance in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Dr. Al Hayek is an active member in the following societies: member of the Pediatric Saudi Association SAPHOS (2000 till now), member of the Regional Pediatric Oncology–Hematology MECCA Group (2000 till now), member of Sanad Scientific Committee for the National Pediatric Oncology Hematology Research Grant Allocation, member of the Organizing Committee for Sanad Annual National Symposium for Pediatric Hematology Oncology, member of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology SIOP (since 1997), member of the Franco – Arab Society of Cancer (since 1991), member of Pediatric Oncology Society of the Developing Country Group PODC (since 1997), member of Pediatric Society of Oncology, Asian Group (since 1997), member of French Society of Pediatric Oncology, SFOP (since 1991), member of Children Oncology Group COG of United States (since 2008 till 2016), Founding Member in Poem Association of the Mediterranean, Regional and Gulf Group (Nov.2013)

Hodgkin Disease and its specificity, leukemia and its treatment response and genetic characteristic

Kenji Suzuki, Ph.D. (by Published Work; Nagoya University) worked at Hitachi Medical Corporation, Japan, Aichi Prefectural University, Japan, as a faculty member, and in Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, as Assistant Professor. In 2014, he joined Department of Electric and Computer Engineering and Medical Imaging Research Center, Illinois Institute of Technology, as Associate Professor. In 2017, he was jointly appointed in World Research Hub Initiative at Tokyo Institute of Technology as Full Professor (Specially Appointed). He published more than 320 papers (including 110 peer-reviewed journal papers). His papers were cited more than 8,000 times by other researchers. He has an h-index of 41. He is inventor on 30 patents (including 13 granted patents), which were licensed to several companies and commercialized. He published 10 books and 22 book chapters, and edited 13 journal special issues. He was awarded/co-awarded more than 25 grants as PI including NIH R01 and ACS. He served as the Editor of a number of leading international journals, including Pattern Recognition and Medical Physics. He served as a referee for 80 international journals, an organizer of 30 international conferences, and a program committee member of 150 international conferences. He received 25 awards, including 3 RSNA Certificate of Merit Awards, IEEE Outstanding Member Award, Cancer Research Foundation Young Investigator Award, Kurt Rossmann Award for Excellence in Teaching from Univ of Chicago, IEICE 2014 Best Journal Paper Award, EANM Most Cited Journal Paper Award 2016, and 2017 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Machine learning, deep learning, computer-aided diagnosis, medical image processing, medical image analysis, and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Douglas E. Gladstone is an associate Professor in the Department of Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. He is clinical director of the Outpatient Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. He In 2017, he led an educational program discussing how to lower donor specific antibodies to permissible levels for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation at the annual American Society of Hematology conference.

Hematologic malignancies, Bone marrow transplantation (BMT), and Autoimmunity

Professor Karol Sikora is a world respected oncologist and campaigner for better universal cancer treatment. He studied medical science and biochemistry at Cambridge. Karols forty years experience as an oncologist has taught him that the effectiveness of treatment is more important than the organisation behind its delivery. While he still remains a Consultant Oncologist at Hammersmith Hospital, where he was Clinical Director for over 15 years, he launched Cancer Partners UK, Britain’s largest independent network of ten innovative cancer treatment centres in 2009. Building on his experience as Chief of the World Health Organisation Cancer Programme and an adviser to the UNs International Atomic Energy Agency, he has also formed Cancer Partners International, which builds more affordable cancer centres in the developing world. His current major project is the creation of a network of Proton Beam Therapy centres in the UK and abroad, funded by private equity. As a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and a Dean and Professor of Medicine at Buckingham University, Britains first independent university, he writes and lectures regularly on the use of biomarkers and surrogate endpoints by using molecular diagnostics to personalise therapy. His books have included Treatment of Cancer – the leading British postgraduate textbook for which he has been the senior editor for 6 editions spanning 30 years. He is married with three grown up children. He enjoys hill walking, climbing and visiting old railways.

Proton Beam Therapy

Dr. C. Cameron Yin has received her MD from Beijing Medical University and her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently a tenured professor in the Department of Hematopathology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, Hematology and Molecular Genetic Pathology. In addition to clinical responsibilities on the Leukemia, Lymphoma and Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory services, Dr. Yin has been actively participating in multiple research projects in leukemia and lymphoma, which has led to 150 research papers and over 20 book chapters. She serves as members of editorial boards for over 20 journals and ad hoc reviewers for over 30 journals. Her major research interests include molecular genetic aberrations in leukemia and lymphoma, development of molecular methodologies for the diagnosis, prognosis and minimal residual disease monitoring of hematopoietic neoplasms, mechanisms of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, as well as the role of immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in acute myeloid leukemia.

Molecular genetic aberrations in leukemia and lymphoma Development of molecular methodologies for the diagnosis, prognosis and minimal residual disease monitoring of hematopoietic neoplasms Immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in acute myeloid leukemia

Julie Smith-Gagen MPH, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. As an epidemiologist, her work uses epidemiology to inform health policy to promote equity in utilization and access to healthcare. Her current area of focus is on the real-world use of diagnostics and treatments for patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary. Another area of focus is on prevention treatments that can slow the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; liver damage causes by fat buildup and inflammation. Dr. Smith Gagen has published in many peer-reviewed high impact journals including but limited to Statistical Methods in Medical Research, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Psycho-Oncology, Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Cancer Causes and Control and Women’s Health She received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the University of Utah Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program, Southern California NIOSH Education and Research Center to name a few. She was awarded and recognized as a Healthcare Quality Scholar from the UCLA Network for Multicultural Research on Health and Healthcare and currently serves as Vice Chair for the Minority Affairs Committee in the American College of Epidemiology.

Molecular profiling diagnostic testing

Dimitrios H. Roukos, MD, PhD, is the founding director of Centre for Biosystems and Genome Network Medicine in the Ioannina University, School of Medicine. Assessing the current and future unmet needs of traditional clinical research and single-gene linear transcription-based targeted therapy, he has moved to clinical cancer genome sequencing, regulatory molecular networks and nonlinear transcription. Comprehensive intrapatient landscapes of genomic alterations represent his current research focus. With over 232 papers, including 80 on next-generation sequencing and 32 on precision medicine-oncology, 8,130 citations, h-index of 70, reviewer for high impact journals, editorial board member in more then 25 high-impact journal, lecturer and organizing committee member for international conferences, he is an internationally recognized leading expert of precision cancer genome medicine.

clinical cancer genome sequencing, regulatory molecular networks and nonlinear transcription