cadrg-tacpad (Speaker Bios)

Speaker Bios

  • Peter Allen
    Peter J. Allen, M.D.
    David C. Sabiston, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Surgery; Chief of Surgical Oncology, and the Chief of Surgery, Duke Cancer Institute

    I am a Surgical Oncologist with clinical and research training in pancreatic and hepatobiliary malignancy. In 2018, I joined Duke University as the Chief of Surgical Oncology, and the Chief of Surgery in the Duke Cancer Institute. Previously, I led the clinical and research efforts regarding pancreatic neoplasia within the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and served as the Associate Director for Clinical Programs within the David Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research. I also held the Murray F. Brennan endowed Chair in Surgery. Over the previous ten years, I have been interested in the progression of pancreatic precursor lesions called intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN). These cystic precursor lesions of the pancreas present an opportunity for to both study cancer progression, and potentially prevent the development of this lethal malignancy. My research has focused on biomarker development to identify high-risk IPMN as well as studies evaluating the cause of this disease process. I have successfully completed phase II and phase III clinical trials in patients with pancreatic cancer and IPMN, and am currently the PI of a first-in-human multi-center randomized chemoprevention trial for pancreatic cancer that is targeting patients with high-risk IPMN.

    My laboratory includes both pre and postdoctoral trainees, and they play a critical role in the development of our pancreatic cancer prevention program.

    Education
    B.A. 1989
    1989 Harvard University
    M.D. 1993
    1993 Dartmouth College, Geisel School of Medicine
    Surgical Intern, SURGERY
    1994 Walter Reed Army Medical Center
    Surgical Resident, SURGERY
    1999 Walter Reed Army Medical Center
    Research Fellow
    1997 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
    Surgical Oncology Fellow, SURGERY
    2003 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

  • Vinod Balachandran
    Vinod Balachandran, M.D.
    Surgeon-Scientist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

    Vinod Balachandran, MD, is a surgeon-scien􀆟st in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis
    Program (HOPP) and Founding Director of The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at Memorial
    Sloan Ketering Cancer Center (MSK), an academic biohub focused on catalyzing next-
    genera􀆟on precision cancer vaccines.
    Vinod’s laboratory discoveries have established precision vaccines as a promising new
    immunotherapy for pancrea􀆟c cancer, a common, deadly cancer with no effec􀆟ve treatments. His
    team discovered, designed, and demonstrated in a landmark clinical trial that precision RNA
    vaccines targe􀆟ng ‘neoan􀆟gens’ – muta􀆟on-derived an􀆟gens unique to cancer cells – trigger
    potent immunity that correlates with delayed pancrea􀆟c cancer recurrence. This work revealing
    that vaccines targe􀆟ng ubiquitous oncogenic byproducts may impact outcome in one of the most
    challenging cancers has ignited global interest in RNA vaccines as a poten􀆟ally transforma􀆟ve
    cancer treatment.
    Vinod has received several honors for his work, including the 2023 Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-
    Scien􀆟sts from the Founda􀆟on for the NIH.

  • Ajay Bansal
    Ajay Bansal, M.D.
    Medical Director of Gastroenterology Cancers Prevention Clinic and an Professor of Medicine in the Department of Gastroenterology , University of Kansas Health System

    Dr. Bansal completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at New York Medical College, New York. Subsequently, he served as the Chief Resident at New York Medical College, New York. Then he completed his Gastroenterology Fellowship from the University Hospital at Stony Brook, Long Island, New York. Currently, he is the Medical Director of Gastroenterology Cancers Prevention Clinic of the NCI-designated Kansas University Cancer Center and an Professor of Medicine in the Department of Gastroenterology at the University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City, KS. His overarching research interest is cancer prevention. He conducts research in the areas of inherited gastrointestinal cancer syndromes, Barrett’s esophagus and novel imaging techniques for detection of premalignant and malignant lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. He is the principal investigator on an NCI funded 14-center trial to test a novel combination of vaccines and IL-15 superagonist in patients with Lynch syndrome. He recently was funded to repurpose itraconazole for prevention of recurrent Barrett’s esophagus in a 5-center clinical trial. He has > 100 peer-reviewed publications and is a reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed journals.

  • Pratip Bhattacharya
    Pratip K Bhattacharya, Ph.D.
    Professor, Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

    Pratip is an imaging scientist and currently a professor in the Department of Cancer Systems Imaging at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer. He received his PhD degree in Chemistry at California Institute of Technology. He started his independent career at the Huntington Medical Research Institute and University of South California as an Assistant Professor. The focus of research in his laboratory is the development of real-time metabolic and molecular imaging applications by hyperpolarization. His laboratory is exploring novel ways to utilize Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to create more detailed metabolic and molecular imaging studies by employing hyperpolarized, non-radioactive carbon 13 (13C)-labeled compounds and silicon particles and nanoparticles to tag specific metabolic and biochemical structures and functions that are altered in cancer and neurodegeneration.

    He enjoys close collaboration with physician/scientists, radiologists, oncologists, and basic cancer researchers to explore new opportunities and identify critical needs to ensure that imaging science advances alongside novel therapeutic approaches to improve the next generation of clinical care. He believes that imaging plays an important role in fundamental cancer research, optimization of new therapies and, ultimately, the quality of care and outcome for those touched by cancer.

    His training strength is reflected by the diverse range of scientists mentored in his laboratory. He has advised 10 graduate students, 11 postdoctoral trainees and over 30 undergraduate trainees in his career so far. The trainees from his laboratory have gone on to develop scholarship and independent careers in next generations of parahydrogen polarizer and hyperpolarized metabolic imaging probes in the US, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
    Pratip is an avid mountaineer and is currently in the process of climbing all the seven summits of the seven continents.

  • Mariana Bustamante Eduardo
    Mariana Bustamante Eduardo, Ph.D.
    Postdoctoral fellow, Northwestern University

    Mariana Bustamante Eduardo, PhD, has been a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratories of Dr. Susan Clare and Dr. Seema Khan at Northwestern University in Chicago since 2020. She earned her degree in Biology from Universidad Mayor de San Simón in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Mariana then pursued a Master’s degree in Biology, specializing in Genetics, Development, and Evolution, at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. In 2018, she completed her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Bern, where her research focused on the heterogeneity of breast cancer, particularly the progesterone receptor. Currently, her research is directed towards breast cancer prevention, exploring the links between lipid metabolism, epigenomic reprogramming, and malignant transformation. In 2023, she was awarded the AACR-Pfizer Breast Cancer Fellowship, which supports her continued investigation into the biology of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer—an area vital for the development of biomarkers and innovative preventive strategies.

  • Shawn Demehri
    Shawn Demehri, M.D., Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School

    Shawn Demehri, MD, PhD, is the inaugural incumbent of the Arthur and Sandra Irving Endowed Chair in Cancer Immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Demehri received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Washington State University. He completed his medical degree (MD), PhD in Cell Biology in the laboratory of Dr. Raphael Kopan, and Dermatology residency training at Washington University in St. Louis. He conducted postdoctoral research in Immunology in the lab of Dr. Wayne Yokoyama at Washington University. Dr. Demehri is a physician-scientist performing basic science and translational research in cancer immunoprevention related to skin, breast, and other epithelial cancers. His laboratory in the Center for Cancer Immunology and Cutaneous Biology Research Center at MGH/HMS is focused on determining the immune system's role in maintaining normal tissue homeostasis and preventing the early stages of cancer development. Dr. Demehri is a recipient of several awards, including the American Academy of Dermatology Young Investigator Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation Young Physician-Scientist Award (currently a member of ASCI), NIH Director’s Early Independence Award, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists, Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator Award, Kimmel Scholar Award, LEO Foundation Award, Gray Foundation Award, and MGH Research Scholar Award.

  • Steven Lipkin
    Steven Lipkin, MD PhD
    Vice Chair of Research, Sanford and Joan Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine

    Dr. Lipkin is a physician-scientist who has published in Cell, Cell Stem Cell, Nature Biotechnology, NatureGenetics, Science, Genes and Development, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Journal of Clinical Investigation, among others. He is Vice Chair for Research, Weill-Cornell Department of Medicine. He is a member of the FDA Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel, which reviews and votes on approval of new genetic tests in the US. He is Director of the Weill Cornell Medical College Adult and Cancer Genetics Clinic, where he practices as a Clinical Geneticist and supervises Genetic Counselors, and Director of the Program in Mendelian Genetics. He directs a research laboratory that uses massively parallel sequencing, computational biology, mouse models, cell culture and genomics to understand the contribution of genetics to, and mechanisms of, hereditary cancer genetic syndromes. He discovered and mechanistically characterized MLH3, a DNA mismatch repair gene colorectal polyposis and cancer predisposition gene. He has also identified or co-identified 6 B cell malignancy predisposition genes. His lab made important contributions to our understanding of cancer initiating cells and was also the first to model human cancer cells in immune competent mice. He currently leads the NCI CAP-IT Center for Cancer Immunoprevention and is developing precision prevention and precision targeted therapies for patients with DNA repair deficient cancers.

  • Altaf Mohammed
    Altaf Mohammed, Ph.D.
    Program Director, NCI

    Altaf Mohammed, Ph.D., serves as a Program Director and Contractor Officer’s Representative (COR) in the Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group (CADRG), Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP), National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. Mohammed joined DCP in January 2017.

    Dr. Mohammed brings more than 16 years of experience in cancer prevention and interception, animal models, drug discovery and development and immunoprevention to his current position where he oversees and manages grants and contracts in these areas. He also led the establishment of two of NCI’s new research programs:

    1. Discovery and Development of Natural Products for Cancer Interception and Prevention (DDNP-CIP)
    2. Cancer Immunoprevention Network (CIP-Net).

    Dr. Mohammed provides scientific and programmatic leadership to these newly established DDNP-CIP and CIP-Net programs.

    Dr. Mohammed earned his Ph.D. in microbiology before moving to the Department of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in Oklahoma City for a postdoctoral fellowship in carcinogenesis and cancer chemoprevention. Dr. Mohammed advanced to a faculty position and pursued research in cancer chemoprevention at OUHSC. He also served as Experimental Bioassay Director at the Center for Cancer Prevention and Drug Development, Stephenson Cancer Center, at OUHSC for 8 years. At the OUHSC, Dr. Mohammed’s research interests have focused on identifying molecular targets for pancreas and colon cancers; developing effective chemopreventive/immunomodulatory agents and their regimens for preventing cancers using preclinical in vivo (carcinogen-induced, genetically engineered, and transgenic) rodent models; establishing molecular mechanisms; and identifying strategies for cancer prevention. Dr. Mohammed is one of the first investigators to optimize a genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) for pancreatic cancer chemoprevention research.

    Dr. Mohammed has published more than 90 articles in peer-reviewed journals and serves as Editorial Board member and regular reviewer for several cancer journals, including the AACR journals.

  • Tomonori Oka
    Tomonori Oka, M.D., Ph.D.
    Instructor, Massachusetts General Hospital

    Tomonori received his Ph.D. degree in Dermatological sciences in 2018 studying the role of CXCL17 in psoriasis. During his clinical work as a dermatologist, he has focused on cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and atopic dermatitis. In the Demehri Lab, Tomonori is studying the mechanisms of skin cancer immunoprevention.

  • Steven Reed
    Steven Reed, Ph.D.
    President and CEO, HDT Bio

    Steve Reed is the Founder, President, and CEO of HDT bio, a Seattle based biotech company that developed the next generation RNA technology for treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious diseases. His academic appointments include Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Cornell University Medical College and Research Professor of Pathobiology at the University of Washington.

    Dr. Reed’s dedication to global health began during his undergraduate studies, and were the focus of this graduate studies at the University of Montana where he began work on adjuvants with Dr. Edgar Ribi. Dr. Reed received a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Montana in 1979. That year he was appointed as Scientist of the National Institute of Amazon Research in Manaus, Brazil, where he directed research on tropical diseases.

    Dr. Reed joined Cornell University Medical College in 1980, continuing to work in Brazil as manager of the Cornell-Bahia program in International Medicine. He joined the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute in 1984 where he worked until founding the Infectious Disease Research Institute. He has received over $150 million in grants and contracts from the US NIH, BARDA, DARPA, and the Gates Foundation. In 1994 he co-founded Corixa Corporation. In 2008, Reed was the Founding CEO of Immune Design Corp. Reed was also co-founder of Afrigen.

    Dr. Reed’s research interests have focused on the immunology of intracellular infections, and on the development of vaccines and diagnostics for both cancer and infectious diseases. In partnership with GSK, he led the team that developed the first defined tuberculosis vaccine, now in advanced clinical development. He also developed the first defined vaccines for leprosy and leishmaniasis, as well as the K39-based diagnostic tests currently licensed for leishmaniasis. He has over 400 original publications, 35 book chapters and reviews, and 105 issued patents.

  • Surya Singh
    Surya P Singh, Ph.D
    Postdoctoral Fellow , Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

    Dr. Surya Singh, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Cancer Prevention and Drug Development, Stephenson Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Prior to this, he received his Ph.D. in Life Sciences from the Banaras Hindu University, India. As part of his doctoral studies, he has explored the use of plant extracts for cancer prevention. His current research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of tumor progression and developing safe and effective agents for the early interception of bladder cancer using small-molecule inhibitors. He has expertise in establishing ex vivo 3D tumoroid models from rodent and human-derived cancer tissues to study the interactions and molecular crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment.

  • Eva Szabo
    Eva Szabo, M.D.
    Chief, Lung and Upper Aerodigestive Cancer Research Group and Director, Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network, DCP, NCI, National Cancer Institute

    Eva Szabo, MD is the Chief of the Lung and Upper Aerodigestive Cancer Research Group in the Division of the Cancer Prevention at the US National Cancer Institute. She is the Director of the Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (CP-CTNet), through which she designs and oversees early phase cancer prevention clinical trials funded by the NCI. Dr. Szabo also participates in clinical trials and standard-of care treatment of patients with lung cancer and thymic malignancies in the NCI Intramural Thoracic Malignancies Clinic and is an adjunct investigator in the NCI Thoracic Malignancies Branch. Her research centers on identifying effective agents for lung and head and neck cancer prevention, identifying intermediate endpoints for assessing efficacy in early phase cancer prevention clinical trials, and developing new clinical trial models for assessing efficacy of preventive interventions. She is a Senior Deputy Editor for Cancer Prevention Research, has participated in multiple committees and working groups for ASCO and AACR (including as a member of 2022 Annual Meeting Program Committee), has participated in FDA Oncologic Drug Review Committees, is a longstanding member of the US Department of Defense Lung Cancer Research Program Integration Panel, and is a member of the Cancer Research UK Prevention and Population Research Committee as well as co-chair of its Prevention and Population Expert Review Panel A.

    Dr. Szabo received her B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and M.D. from Duke University. She completed her Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at NYU-Bellevue and her Fellowship in Medical Oncology at the National Cancer Institute. She is ABIM board-certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/eva.szabo.1/bibliography/public/

  • Barbara Vanderhyden
    Barbara C. Vanderhyden, Ph.D.
    Professor and Senior Scientist, University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

    Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden is a Distinguished University Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa, a Senior Scientist in the Cancer Therapeutics Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and has held the inaugural Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research since 2000. Her research focuses on the mechanisms underlying risk factors for ovarian cancer and strategies to mitigate those risks. Her lab has also generated and characterized numerous transgenic and syngeneic models of ovarian cancer that have shed light on cancer susceptibility and tumor progression. These models are being used in preclinical trials for the evaluation of novel therapeutic approaches, including targeted and immune therapies. Her research is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Cancer Research Society. Dr. Vanderhyden manages the Ottawa Ovarian Cancer Tissue Bank, serves on the Board of Directors of Ovarian Cancer Canada, is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and chairs the OvCAN Governing Council which oversees a national strategic research plan to advance novel treatments for ovarian cancer. She is actively involved in science outreach and teaches on a variety of topics, including ovarian function, cancer models, academic integrity and science communication.

  • Catherine Wu
    Catherine J. Wu, M.D.
    Chief, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, DANA-FARBER CANCER INST

    Catherine J. Wu, M.D. is Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. A member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Physicians, she oversees an integrated program at DFCI of research and clinical activities that focuses on dissecting the basis of effective anti-tumor immunity. Her laboratory has implemented genomics-based approaches for target antigen discovery and for understanding the basis of therapeutic response and resistance.

  • Fan Zhang
    Fan Zhang, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Florida

    Dr. Fan Zhang is an assistant professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy. He also holds affiliated positions at the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Department of Chemical Engineering at UF. Fan received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. To extend his expertise in immuno-oncology and to expand the clinical impact of his research. He undertook postdoctoral training at the Clinical Research Division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Zhang's current work focuses on developing nanoplatforms to direct immune cells as ‘living therapeutics’, through genetically programming cellular functions or molecularly targeting stimulatory/inhibitory pathways. To this end, his lab leverages dendrimer chemistry, cell engineering, and immunology to determine the fundamental principles that govern nanoparticle’s interaction with immune cells; and to elucidate how immune cell recruitment affects nanoparticle’s in vivo targeting behaviors. His current research is supported by NCI, NIGMS, and Ocala Royal Dame Cancer Foundation.