At the core of MD Anderson’s approach to exceptional patient care is a virtuous cycle of innovation that's grounded in collaboration, connectivity and data-based science. Our unique environment and vast resources accelerate novel concepts faster than ever before by offering leading scientific minds close proximity to our clinics to ease collaboration with our renowned clinicians and our patient partners.
At the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, our experts will showcase their pacesetting research and join colleagues from across the globe for discussion on the latest advances in cancer science.
Below are highlights from our presentations, details about onsite networking opportunities with our experts and information on open research positions at MD Anderson.
Featured Articles
Meet the Experts
Visit us at Booth 2527 to discuss hot topics and emerging trends with leading minds in cancer science.
Exhibit Hall Hours
Sunday, April 27: noon–5 p.m.
Monday, April 28: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesday, April 29: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 30: 9 a.m.–noon
Barista-crafted coffee available at the booth during all hours of the exhibit hall.
Sunday, April 27
12:30–1 p.m.
Interventions for adverse effects of EGFR inhibitors
Anisha Patel, M.D.
Associate Professor, Dermatology
2–2:30 p.m.
Clinical Trials at MD Anderson
Christopher Flowers, M.D.
Division Head, Cancer Medicine
Jennifer Litton, M.D.
Vice President, Clinical Research
Professor, Breast Medical Oncology
2:30–3 p.m.
Student Opportunities at MD Anderson
Adam Grippin, M.D., Ph.D.
Jillian Gunther, M.D., Ph.D.
Program Director, Med Students SOAR and RADAR
Marites Melancon, Ph.D.
Program Director, Med Students SOAR
Vickie Shannon, M.D.
Professor, Pulmonary Medicine
3–3:30 p.m.
Spatialomics: Mapping the Tumor Ecosystem
Anirban Maitra, M.B.B.S.
Professor, Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology
Linghua Wang, M.D, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Genomic Medicine
Di Zhao, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Experimental Radiation Oncology
3–3:30 p.m.
Cancer Vaccines: The Current Landscape
Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D.
Chair ad interim, Clinical Cancer Prevention
Jason Willis, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Gastrointestinal (GI) Medical Oncology
Monday, April 28
Noon–12:30 p.m.
Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation
Cathy Dumbrava, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Investigational Cancer Therapeutics
Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President and Head, Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation
Professor, Stem Cell Transplantation & Cellular Therapy
Noon–1 p.m.
Career Opportunities at MD Anderson
Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Professor, Genomic Medicine
1–1:30 p.m.
Cancer Neuroscience: An Emerging Integrative Field
Jian Hu, M.D.
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology
2–2:30 p.m.
Genotyping: A New Frontier in Early Cancer Detection and Risk Profiling
Paul Scheet, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Epidemiology
4–4:30 p.m.
Accelerating Drug Discovery with AI
Bissan Al-Lazikani, Ph.D.
Co-Lead, Institute for Data Science in Oncology
Director of Therapeutics Data Science
Professor, Genomic Medicine
Tim Heffernan, Ph.D.
Vice President, Oncology Research
Tuesday, April 29
Noon–12:30 p.m.
Functional Proteomics: Revealing the Role of Protein in Tumor Development
Yiling Lu, M.D.
Professor, Genomic Medicine
Director, Functional Proteomics RPPA Core
1–2 p.m.
The Postdoctoral Experience at MD Anderson
Safia Essien, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Office for Postdocs
Jian Hu, M.D.
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology
Ankita Paul, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biostatistics and Computational Biology
Aria Vaishnavi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Genetics
2–2:30 p.m.
The Microbiome and Cancer
Jennifer McQuade, M.D.
Associate Professor, Melanoma Medical Oncology
2:30–3 p.m.
Synthetic Lethality and DDR Inhibitor Clinical Trials
Timothy Yap, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Investigational Cancer Therapeutics
Vice President, Therapeutics Discovery Division
Associate Director of Translational Research, Khalifa Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy
3–3:30 p.m.
The Next Chapter in Cell Therapy Discoveries
Samer Srour, M.B.Ch.B.
Assistant Professor, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
Our research by the numbers
$1.3B
invested in research
1,556
clinical trials
188
patents awarded
From Sept. 1, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2024
Education and Training at MD Anderson
MD Anderson academic programs are competitive and comprehensive. We offer educational opportunities from undergraduate degrees to postdoctoral training.
Institutes at MD Anderson
United by a shared mission to end cancer, MD Anderson clinicians and scientists work seamlessly together to advance groundbreaking research that can transform the field of hematology. Leveraging our unique research ecosystem, including three leading institutes, we are pioneering new prevention, diagnostic and treatment approaches to address the most pressing needs for patients with cancer.
James P. Allison Institute
The James P. Allison Institute is dedicated to advancing exceptional discovery, translational and clinical research to integrate immunobiology across disciplines and unlock the full potential of science and medicine for human health. The institute builds upon the legacy of its namesake, James P. Allison, Ph.D., who was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his fundamental discoveries in T cell biology and his invention of ipilimumab, the first immune checkpoint inhibitor to treat cancer.
Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation
Building upon unparalleled expertise, MD Anderson’s Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation is leading the world in developing and advancing impactful cell therapies for patients in need. By uniting the top minds in the field to lead exceptional fundamental, translational and clinical research, we're focused on creating breakthrough off-the-shelf therapies that can be readily adapted for both hematologic and solid tumors as well as devastating auto-immune conditions, infections and other diseases.
Learn more about the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation
Institute for Data Science in Oncology
The Institute for Data Science in Oncology (IDSO) integrates the tremendous power of meaningful data extraction and interpretation with MD Anderson’s unparalleled scientific and clinical expertise to transform research and care to impact patients.
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