2023 Retreat Program
Wednesday, May 24
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Opening Reception at JLABS (Collaboratory, Third Floor, Building 54)
6-6:30 p.m.: Sally Allain, MBA, M.S.
Sally Allain, MBA, M.S.
Head of JLABS @ Washington, D.C.
Thursday, May 25
7:15 - 7:45 a.m.: Coffee and Continental Breakfast (Auditorium Reception Area, Building 52, Conference Theatre)
8 - 8:30 a.m.: Introductions - Michael Friedlander, Ph.D., and Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D.
Michael Friedlander, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC; Vice President, Health Sciences and Technology, Virginia Tech
Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D.
Interim Chief Academic Officer, Children’s National Hospital; Interim Director, Children’s National Research Institute
8:30 - 9 a.m.: Carla Finkielstein, Ph.D.
"Circadian Control of Checkpoint Signaling and Tumor Growth"
Carla Finkielstein, Ph.D.
Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC; Co-director, Virginia Tech Cancer Research Alliance
9 - 9:30 a.m.: Catherine Bollard, M.D., MBBCH
"Cell Therapies for Pediatric Solid Tumors- Beyond Conventional CAR-T"
Catherine Bollard, M.D., MBBCH
Director, Center for Cancer and Immunology Research at the Children’s National Research Institute; Director, Program for Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy, Children's National Research Institute
9:30 - 10:00 a.m.: Eli Vlaisavljevich, Ph.D.
"Non-invasive Tumor Ablation Using Histotripsy: Basic Mechanisms, Clinical Translation, and Emerging Applications"
Eli Vlaisavljevich, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech
10 - 10:15 a.m.: Coffee Break; Poster Set-up (Auditorium Reception Area)
10:15 - 10:45 a.m.: Joanne Tuohy, DVM, Ph.D.
"Developing Histotripsy and H-FIRE for Osteosarcoma and Lung Cancers"
Joanne Tuohy, DVM, Ph.D.
Developing Histotripsy and H-FIRE for Osteosarcoma and Lung Cancers
Assistant Professor, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and Animal Cancer Care and Research Center, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine; Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal)
10:45 - 11 a.m.: Liwu Li, Ph.D.
"Reprogramming of Innate Immune Memory in the Treatment of Cancer"
Liwu Li, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science; Director, Program in Genetics, Biotechnology & Computational Biology, Virginia Tech
11:15 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Lunch and Poster Presentations (3rd Floor Collaboratory)
1 - 1:30 p.m.: Kathleen Mulvaney, Ph.D.
"PRMT5 Substrate Recruitment as a Therapeutic Target in CDKN2A/MTAP Null Cancer"
Kathleen Mulvaney, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
1:30 - 2 p.m.: Eugene Hwang, Ph.D.
"How Can We Help Immunotherapy Beat Back Pediatric Brain Cancers? A Brief Review of Novel Challenges and Strategies"
Eugene Hwang, M.D.
Associate Division Chief, Oncology; Principal Investigator of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, Children's National Hospital
Keynote Address
2 - 2:50 p.m.: Jay A. Berzofsky, M.D., Ph.D.
"Cancer Vaccine Studies from Bench to Bedside and Back to the Bench"
Jay A. Berzofsky, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Vaccine Branch
Senior Investigator
Head, Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section
Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health