Events

Upcoming Events

TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Monthly Meeting Series

TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative (TCI) hosts a monthly meeting on the last Friday of the month from 2:30-3:30 p.m. (CST). Meetings will be held virtually on Zoom. Please note the schedule is subject to change. To join our meeting series, please email TranscendCancerInitiative@mdanderson.org.

December 1, 2023

• Genevieve Boland, MD, PhD, Vice Chair of Research, Department of Surgery, Section Head, Melanoma/Sarcoma Surgery, Surgical Director, Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies Director, Surgical Oncology Research Laboratories, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

February 23, 2024

• Dr. Linghua Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Genomic Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

April 26, 2024

• Andrew G Sikora, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Director of Research of Head and Neck Surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Keila E. Torres, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology and Genomic Medicine, and Co-Deputy Division Head for Research, Division of Surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center

2024 TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Symposium

Save the Date: October 25, 2024 FCT3.5001

Past Events

TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Monthly Meeting Series

September 22, 2023

• Andrew Futreal, Ph.D., Department Chair and Professor of Genomic Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  MD Anderson Patient Mosaic, a research effort capitalizing upon institutional strengths.

August 25, 2023

• Nadim Ajami, Ph.D., Executive Director of Scientific Research of the Platform for Innovative Microbiome and Translational Research, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

May 19, 2023

• Robert C. Bast, M.D., Vice President for Translational Research, Internist and Professor of Medicine, Experimental Therapeutics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Perspective on the future of surgeons-scientists and opportunities at MD Anderson
• Physician Scientist Program and K12 Awardees Discussion Panel: Koichi Takahashi, M.D., Ph.D., Leukemia, Christopher Alvarez-Breckenridge, M.D., Ph.D., Neurosurgery, Jason Schenkel, M.D., Ph.D., Immunology, Taiwo Adesoye, M.D., Breast Surgical Oncology, Puneet Singh , M.D., Breast Surgical Oncology

March 31, 2023

• Manoj Chelvanambi, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, TCI Fellow, Surgical Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Delineating strategies to enhance immunotherapy response via microbial targeting of tertiary lymphoid structures/B-cells
  
• Brenda Melendez, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, TCI Fellow, Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Elucidating the impact of obesity on local inflammation and immunosurveillance mechanisms in low-grade endometrial cancer

February 24, 2023 (In-Person/Hybrid FCT3.5001)

• Elizabeth Burton, M.B.A., Executive Director of STRIDE, Genomic Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  STRIDE -Strategic Research Initiative Development, an evolution of research operational priorities for achieving decisive discoveries
• Special in-person guest, Claudia Willmes, Ph.D., Scientific Editor Cell, Leading Edge, Cell Press

January 27, 2023

• Sun Lim, Business Development Manager and Michael Forster, Director of Scientific Affairs at Olink Proteomics
  Olink Applications in Immunotherapies
• Seth Meyers, Senior Technical Sales Specialist, NanoString Technologies
  Spatial-omics Revolution: Innovation Roadmap and Key Applications
• Allison May, M.D., Fellow, Department of Urology, University of Michigan
  Spatial molecular imaging to profile the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and immune crosstalk in sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma

December 2, 2022

• Nathaniel Deboever, M.D., Rotating Resident in Research, TCI Fellow, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Multiplatform analysis of the microbiome and its associations in resectable non-small cell lung cancer managed with neoadjuvant therapy
• Yongwoo David Seo, M.D., Fellow, TCI Fellow, Department of Surgical Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Cancer testis antigen and interleukin expression correlates with survival in small bowel neuroendocrine tumors

October 21, 2022

• Nicholas Navin, Ph.D., Department Chair of Systems Biology; Professor, Department of Genetics; Director of the CPRIT Single Cell Genomic Center (Single Cell Core); and the Co-Director of the Advanced Technology Genomics Core (ATGC), UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Decoding premalignant cancer progression with single cell genomics

September 30, 2022

• Sammy Ferri-Borgogno, Ph.D., Instructor, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Long- term ovarian cancer survivors: spatial transcriptomics depict ligand receptor crosstalk heterogeneity at the tumor stroma interface
  
• Cara Haymaker, Ph.D., Director of ORION core, Assistant Professor and Luisa Maren Solis Soto, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  TMP-IL: Applying digital spatial profiling techniques to translating clinical trials
  

August 19, 2022

• Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Pre-Cancer Atlas and Colorectal Pre-Cancer Collaborative Studies
• Melinda S. Yates, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Role of Immune Response in Endometrial Pre-Malignant Biology and Cancer Prevention

July 8, 2022

• Samuel Cass, M.D., Rotating Resident-Research, Department of Surgical Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Dietary Intervention: An Emerging Strategy for Microbiome and Immune Modulation
• Elise Nassif, M.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Surgical Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  B-Cell Receptors: from Biomarkers to Therapeutics

May 19, 2022

• Christof Straub, Ph.D., Regional Account Manager at NanoString Technologies, Inc.
  Discussion of GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiler and applications that deal with tissue heterogeneity in the context of TME
• Alexander J. Lazar, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Department of Pathology, MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Discussion of the pathologic considerations when performing spatial transcriptomics

2023 Fall TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Symposium

October 13, 2023, FCT3.5001

Keynote presentations by Peter WT Pisters, M.D., MHCM, President, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Nathalie D. McKenzie, M.D., Advent Health Research Institute

Faculty Presentations by Matthew Katz, M.D., Department Chair of Surgical Oncology, and Lorenzo Cohen, M.D., Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine

Flash Talks by Florentia Dimitriou, M.D., Ph.D., Surgical Oncology, Nicholas Hornstein, M.D., Ph.D., GI Medical Oncology, Golnaz Morad,  Ph.D., Surgical Oncology, Monika Zelazowska, Ph.D., Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, Estefania Fernandez, M.D., Ph.D., Gyn Oncology & Reproductive Medicine

2023 Spring TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Symposium

April 21, 2023

Keynote presentations by:

• Gordon Mills, M.D., Ph.D., Knight Cancer Institute, OHSU 
• Anil Sood, M.D., Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer

SESSION I: Identifying Genomic and Molecular Targets of Therapy and Response Across Tumors

• Donna Hansel, M.D., Ph.D., Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Michael Kim, M.D., Surgical Oncology, R. Tyler Hillman, M.D., Ph.D., Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, Anne Knisely, M.D., Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, and Nate Deboever, M.D., Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 

SESSION II: Surgical Innovation in the Interrogation of Tumor Behavior Dynamics

• Sherise Ferguson, M.D., Neurosurgery and Naruhiko Ikoma, M.D., Surgical Oncology 

2022 Fall TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Symposium

October 7, 2022

Keynote presentations by:

• Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Surgery, National Cancer Institute - Lymphocytes as a “Living Drug” for the Treatment of Cancer.
• Stephanie L. Goff, M.D., Associate Research Physician of Surgery, National Cancer Institute - Expanding TIL beyond melanoma: Lessons learned

Session I: Transforming the Field Through Surgeon Led Trials and Translational Research

• Presentations by Amir A. Jazaeri, M.D.; Samuel Cass, M.D.; Brenda Melendez, Ph.D.; Raymond Traweek, M.D.; and Golnaz Morad, Ph.D.

Session II: Minimal Residual Disease and Adoptive Cell Therapy

• Presentations by Scott Kopetz, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P.; Neil D. Gross, M.D., F.A.C.S.; Travis T. Sims, M.D.; Veena Vuttaradhi. Ph.D.; and Yongwoo    David Seo, M.D.

2022 Spring TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Symposium

April 29, 2022

Session I: Advancing cancer care through neoadjuvant approaches and targeting minimal residual disease in solid tumors

• Presentations by Amir Jazaeri, M.D.; Emily Keung, M.D.; Shannon Westin, M.D., MPH; Brenda Melendez, Ph.D.; Manoj Chelvanambi, Ph.D.; Sharada Mokkapati, Ph.D.; and Yasmine Hoballah, M.S.

Session II: Advancing cancer care through translational research and reverse translation incorporating preclinical models

• Presentations by Michael White, M.D., M.S.; Elizabeth M. Park, Ph.D.; Chi-Lam Au-Yeung, Ph.D.; Timothy P. DiPieri, M.D.; and Veena Kochat, Ph.D.
• Keynote: Padmanee Sharma, M.D. Ph.D. – Transforming cancer care with immunotherapy – vision and partnership with the Allison Institute