Jane Oliaro
Myeloma & Lymphoma Immunotherapy
Jane Oliaro, PhD
Melbourne,
Australia
The University of Melbourne
Professor Jane Oliaro is an internationally recognized cancer immunologist motivated to translate scientific discoveries into the clinic. Her research experience spans the fields of T cell biology and tumor immunology, with a focus on the application of new technology to identify novel therapies to enhance immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. She has a proven track record of undertaking successful collaborative research leading to high quality publications in influential journals including Science, Immunity, Science Immunology; successful funding and awards (including 9 CIA project grants, NHMRC fellowship, NHMRC ‘Ten of the Best’ Research Project Award and NHMRC Inaugural Achievement Award) and over 15 conference invitations in the past 5 years. As Chief Scientist for the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy Translation Laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, she leads a preclinical program focused on the development of novel cell-based immunotherapies for translation into pilot clinical trials.
Program Name(s)
Translational Research Program
Project Title
Improving CAR-T cell therapy outcomes for patients with for aggressive lymphoma and multiple myeloma
Solu Therapeutics
immunotherapy, CMML, AML
Solu Therapeutics
Boston, MA
United States
TAP Partner
Solu Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing next-generation therapeutics to eliminate disease-driving cells in cancer, immunology and other therapeutic areas. The company’s proprietary CyTAC (Cytotoxicity Targeting Chimera) and TicTAC (Therapeutic Index Control Targeting Chimera) platforms enable the development of innovative medicines that combine the target-binding capability of small molecules with the therapeutic power of biologics.
Program Name(s)
Therapy Acceleration Program
Project Title
A phase 1 study of STX-0712, a CCR2-CyTAC monocyte depletor, in patients with CMML
Du Wei
Leukemia
Du Wei, PhD, MD
Pittsburg, PA
United States
University of Pittsburgh
My research is centered on pathophysiology of hematologic diseases such as bone marrow failure and leukemia, with specific focus on hematopoietic stem cell (HSC), DNA damage and immune response, and tumor microenvironment. I have been investigating HSC-BM niche interaction and HSC regeneration under conditions of injury and aging; and have identified functional interactions between certain factors implicated in cell proliferation, polarity, adhesion/migration, stem cell metabolism and aging. My work has led to 53 peer-reviewed scientific papers in high-impact scientific journals, including Blood, JCI, Nat Comm and Leukemia. I laid the groundwork for my long-term research by developing cell and animal models as well as effective assays for identifying mechanisms underlying critical hematological diseases as PI on several NIH- and private-funded grants. I am confident that both myself as a PI and my innovative research are highly competitive in future success in grants and publications.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Enterome
vaccine, FL, MZL
Enterome
Paris,
France
TAP Partner
Enterome is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing breakthrough immunomodulatory drugs for the treatment of cancer and immune diseases. Enterome’s pioneering approach to drug discovery is based on its unique and powerful bacterial Mimicry drug discovery platform, allowing it to analyze and uncover new biological insights from the millions of gut bacterial proteins in constant cross-talk with the human body. Its first-in-class small protein and peptide drug candidates modulate the immune system by closely mimicking the structure, effect or actions of specific antigens, hormones, or cytokines.
Program Name(s)
Therapy Acceleration Program
Project Title
Daniel Lucas
bone marrow and leukemia biology
Daniel Lucas, PhD
Cincinnati, OH
United States
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Daniel Lucas uses microscopy to understand how blood cells are produced in the marrow of the bone and how leukemia inhibits this process. A native Spaniard, he obtained his PhD in Madrid training with Drs. Antonio Bernad and Luis Blanco. Then he moved to New York for postdoctoral training in Paul Frenette’s lab. There he discovered basic mechanisms through which the nervous system regulates blood cell production. He also identified macrophages and megakaryocytes -two types of cells produced by the blood stem cells- as key regulators of those very same blood stem cells. This was the first demonstration that the stem cells were regulated by their own progeny. He established his own research group at the University of Michigan Medical School before being recruited to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His group has discovered mechanisms that promote faster blood recovery after transplantation and deciphered how several types of blood cells assemble in the bone marrow.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Courtney DiNardo
clinical trials, AML
Courtney DiNardo, MD
Houston, TX
United States
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. DiNardo is an academic clinical researcher with a primary focus on individualized therapy and precision oncology for myeloid malignancies, including the optimal incorporation of genomics into standard risk assessments and treatment algorithms, and the clinical evaluation of targeted therapeutics for molecularly-defined patient subgroups.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Francesco Forconi, MD, PhD, DM, FRCPath
Southampton,
United Kingdom
University of Southampton
Professor Francesco Forconi is a leading clinician-scientist at the University of Southampton, UK. Internationally recognized for his clinical and scientific work on B-cell cancers, including HCL. He leads the Southampton designated Center of Excellence for HCL and contributes to UK and international guidelines on HCL diagnosis and management. He leads the Cancer B-cell Group, investigating novel therapeutic approaches against the survival signals mediated by the essential B-cell receptor and BCL2 in B-cell cancers, including HCL. He is the UK lead for the CRUK ECRIN-M3 consortium on early cancer interception. With over 180 peer-reviewed publications, Francesco has spearheaded numerous interventional and observational clinical trials and collaborates closely with patient advocacy groups to enhance care and data platforms. His leadership spans academic, clinical, and policy domains, including roles in NICE appraisals, editorial boards, and cancer science forums.
Program Name(s)
Research Accelerator for Follicular Lymphoma
Hairy Cell Leukemia Research Initiative
Project Title
Meher Gayatri Bolisetti, PhD
Madison, WI
United States
University of Wisconsin at Madison
I have been interested in basic and translational work related to cancer since my master’s resulting in a thesis on bone metastasis of breast cancer. Part of my PhD work explored the molecular mechanisms of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). I have studied the use of metformin, as an anti-cancer agent and demonstrated that metformin through activation of AMPK/ RUNX1/ SOCS3 axis and inhibition of glycolytic fluxes overcomes the imatinib resistance in CML patients. I joined Dr. Jing Zhang’s lab at the University of Wisconsin. Under her guidance, I had a chance to explore the molecular players involved in a subset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with concurrent RAS and ASXL1 mutations, which define one of the worst AML prognosis groups. I have been actively collaborating with numerous investigators on and off campus to work on patient derived xenograft model for pre-clinical development of therapeutic approaches targeting both leukemia cells and suppressed T cells in NRAS; ASXL1 AML.
Project Title
Peter Croucher
Multiple Myeloma
Peter Croucher, PhD
Darlinghurst,
Australia
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Peter trained at the University of Wales College of Medicine and Cambridge and Oxford Universities in the UK. In 2003 he joined Sheffield University and became joint Director of the Mellanby Center for Bone Research and Head of Department of Human Metabolism. In 2011 Peter joined the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney where he is Director of the Cancer Plasticity and Dormancy program. Peter is an international leader in understanding myeloma bone disease. He discovered key molecular pathways that cause myeloma bone disease. This research contributed to development of bone targeted therapies, including anti-RANKL and zoledronic acid, that are now in routine clinical use globally. Peter’s current research is investigating molecular pathways, including the Wnt pathway and sclerostin, that target osteoblasts, restore lost bone, increase bone strength and stop fractures. He is also investigating the role of bone cells in controlling myeloma cell dormancy and disease relapse.
Program Name(s)
Translational Research Program
Project Title
Targeting the Osteogenic Lineage as a Therapeutic Strategy in Multiple Myeloma
Julia Maxson
AML
Julia Maxson, PhD
Portland, OR
United States
Oregon Health & Science University
Dr. Maxson is an assistant professor in the Knight Cancer Institute, where she investigates the cellular and molecular changes that cause myeloid leukemias. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Scripps College and then completed her Ph.D. in Cell Biology in the area of protein trafficking and processing. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratories of Drs. Jeff Tyner and Brian Druker, she integrated genomic and functional screening data to identify novel therapeutic targets in leukemia. Notably, Dr. Maxson identified mutations in CSF3R in the vast majority of patients with chronic neutrophilic leukemia. She discovered that these mutations confer sensitivity to JAK inhibitors, which resulted in a clinical trial for these patients. The Maxson laboratory works to understand how genomic changes manifest at the cellular level to promote cancer formation and progression. Her long-term goal is to use this understanding to develop lifesaving treatments for patients with leukemia.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Targeting the interplay between signaling and transcriptional dysfunction in myeloid leukemias
Dan Landau
cancer evolution biology
Dan Landau, MD, PhD
New York, NY
United States
Weill Cornell Medicine
Dan Landau, MD, PhD is Associate Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and a Core Member of the New York Genome Center. He is an hemato-oncologist whose long-term goal is to develop novel approaches to address cancer evolution as a central obstacle to cure. His research group is funded by the NCI, NHLBI and NHGRI, and his work has led to recognition and awards including Stand Up to Cancer, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Vallee Scholar, and the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Defining the role of DNA methylation modifier mutations in reshaping blood differentiation topology
Nicoletta Cieri
AML and transplantation
Nicoletta Cieri, MD, PhD
Boston, MA
United States
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Nicoletta Cieri is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Before joining DFCI, Nicoletta obtained her MD degree summa cum laude and mention of honor, PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Clinical Specialization in Hematology summa cum laude from San Raffaele University, Italy, in 2010, 2014 and 2020, respectively. Nicoletta's research interests include genomics, proteomics, immunology and gene therapy applied to the field of onco-hematology. She is committed to define how to manipulate the immune response to recognize and eradicate hematological malignancies, while mitigating detrimental effects such as graft-versus-host disease, off-target toxicities and immune overactivation. Honors include Jon J. Van Rood Award and Basic Science Award from the European Bone Marrow Transplantation Society, Mundipharma Hematology Award from the Italian Society of Hematology, AACR-Incyte Immuno-Oncology Research Fellowship, and Helen Gurley Brown Fellowship.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
TCR-like CARs targeting GvL mHAgs for the treatment of post-transplant AML relapse