International Speakers

Professor Channing J. Der, Ph.D

Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Department of Pharmacology

Dr. Channing J. Der is Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his PhD from the University of California, Irvine and completed his postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Since his initial discovery of RAS oncogenes in human cancer in 1982, his research has centered on the study of RAS and RHO oncoproteins and the ERK mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling network in cancer. He is a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) RAS Working Group and he served previously on the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors. He served on the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Lustgarten Foundation. He also serves on the scientific advisory board of numerous biotech companies developing KRAS inhibitors. His honors include Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the recipient of an NCI Outstanding Investigator Award, the Battle Distinguished Cancer Research Award, the Mentorship Award for Lifetime Achievement, the University of California, Irvine Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the Einstein Berlin Institute of Health Visiting Fellow Award.

Professor David M. Ashley, MBBS (Hon), FRACP, PhD

Rory David Deutsch Professor of Neuro-Oncology

Director, The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University

Director Pediatric Neuro-Oncology

Chief, Preuss Laboratory for Brain Tumor Research

Department of Neurosurgery

Dr. Ashley is a distinguished professor and Director of The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, the largest brain tumor center in North America.  His career in cancer research dates more than two decades. His peer-reviewed publication record focuses on CNS tumors is diverse and includes laboratory-based cancer research, clinical trials, as well as public health and psycho-oncology research. His primary research focus is on the immunology, epigenetics, and genetics of brain tumors. His achievements in research have led to change in practice in the care of both children and adults with brain tumors. He is highly regarded for his work, as evidenced by numerous national grants, awards and invitations to plenary sessions and symposia of international standing. 

Dr. Akiko Takahashi

Chief, Division of Cellular Senescence, Cancer Institute,

Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research

Project Leader, Cancer Cell Communication Project, NEXT-Ganken Program, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research

Dr. Akiko Takahashi is a chief of Division of Cellular Senescence at Cancer Institute of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (JFCR), a non-governmental non-profit organization established in 1908.  She graduated from Hokkaido University School of Dentistry, awarded the degree of D.D.S. She received her Ph.D. in Hokkaido University Graduate School of Dental Medicine.  After graduating from the Ph.D. course, Dr. Takahashi joined Prof. Eiji Hara’s lab in Tokushima University to study the irreversibility of cellular senescence.  In 2017, Dr. Takahashi became a principal investigator in the Project for Cellular Senescence at Cancer Institute of JFCR.  She has concurrently served as a project leader in the Cancer Cell Communication Project of NEXT-Ganken Program since 2020.

Dr. Takahashi is interested in the fundamental molecular mechanisms of cellular senescence.  In recent years, she has been analyzing the molecular mechanisms behind SASP in senescent cells and has elucidated its epigenetic regulatory mechanisms.  Additionally, she has been analysing small extracellular vesicles as one of the SASP factors. Dr.Takahashi’s research focuses particularly on the functions of senescent cells in the tumor microenvironment, using cells, organoids, mouse models and clinical samples.

Dr. Maria G. Castro

RC Schnieder Collegiate Professor of Neurosurgery

Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology

Rogel Cancer Center Scholar

Co-Director of the Biosciences Initiative in Brain Cancer

Steering Committee Member, Women of Color in the 

Academy Project (WOCAP)

University of Michigan Medical School

Prof. Castro completed her PhD from the National University of La Plata, Argentina. She continued her training at the Laboratory of Neuro-immunology, National Institutes of Health, USA as a Fogarty International Visiting Research Fellow. After, she moved to UK and became a lecturer in Neuroscience at the University of Wales College of Cardiff, Department of Physiology, she then became a Full Professor and Co-Director of the Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy Unit, University of Manchester, School of Medicine.

In 2001, she was recruited as Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, (UCLA) and Co-Director of the Gene Therapeutics Research Institute at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. In 2011 she was recruited to the University of Michigan Medical School as Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology. She was past Chair of Biomedical Research Council (BMRC), University of Michigan and past chair of National Institutes of Health (NIH), Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors Study Section (CNBT), Center for Scientific Review. Recently, Prof. Castro became the Co-Director of the Biosciences Presidential Initiative in Brain Cancer Technologies and Therapeutics (BIBC) at the university of Michigan. Prof. Castro has received several international awards for her work. Including “Women of Action Award” from the Israel Cancer Research Fund for achievements in the field of Brain Cancer Biology and Therapeutics and the Javits Award from the NINDS/NIH, The Forbes Fellow in Bran Cancer Therapeutics, and several others. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of the Latin American Academy of Sciences, and Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AMIBE).

Her laboratory focuses on Neuro-oncology/Neuro-immunology research and has published papers in top journals in her research field. Her innovative work has led to the clinical translation of a first in human immune-mediated gene therapy Phase 1 clinical trial for malignant brain cancer which has recently been completed at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Castro’s research program explores the epigenetic regulation of cancer progression, with a focus on the role of oncometabolites in the brain tumor microenvironment (TME) and the development of innovative immune-mediated therapies for adult and pediatric gliomas, including G34 mutant diffuse hemispheric high-grade gliomas. Her team investigates the tumor immune microenvironment’s influence on tumor progression and therapeutic response, the interplay between cancer cells and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, and the mechanisms governing immune cell migration from peripheral lymphoid organs to the TME. By unraveling these immunological processes, Dr. Castro’s work aims to translate discoveries into clinical applications. Ultimately, her program is dedicated to developing novel immunotherapeutic strategies that inhibit tumor growth and recurrence, offering novel approaches for the treatment of adult and pediatric brain tumors.