Schedule

Hanne Ostergaard, Director, CRINA

Neesh Pannu, Vice Dean Research, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

Chair: Kris Baker

8:40 AM: "Structural and functional analysis of GGPPS inhibition in acute myeloid leukemia" - Fraser Ferens

8:50 AM: "Extrahepatic siRNA therapy targeting fusion oncogene attenuates acute leukemia" - Mohammad Nasrullah

9:00 AM: "Lipid nanoparticle based CAR-NK therapy for multiple myeloma" - Angela Hamie

9:10 AM: "IL-1B signaling through MyD88 drives pro-cachetic suppressive neutrophil infiltration in skeletal and cardiac muscle" - Blake Roberts

9:20 AM: "Understanding the interaction between macrophages and tumor cells in the brain tumor microenvironment to enhance anti-tumor immune responses" - Mallak Salla

9:30 AM: "Opening the X files: Understanding the link between high-risk A1762T/G1764A mutations in Hepatitis B Virus' X protein and liver cancer" - Clare Gilmour

Chair: Gordon Chan

8:40 AM: "Hypoxia-resistant lymphatic endothelial cells are sensiitve to lipotoxicity: Implications for cancer-related lymphedema" - Lazina Hossein

8:50 AM: "Increased collagen density and progesterone signaling modify the innate immune microenvironment in breast cancer" - Xi Huang

9:00 AM: "Hyperpolarized light: a proteomic analysis of MCF7 and MCF10A cell lines in vitro" - Barbara Truglia

9:10 AM: "Anti-PDL-1 therapy via depletion of Galection-3 expressing CD71+ erythroid cells promotes anti-tumor immunity in a triple-negative breast cancer model" - Ako Azimi

9:20 AM: "Identifying amino acid substitutions in the reovirus outer capsid that increase sialic acid binding" - Spencer Luong

9:30 AM: "Deoxymabs for targeted Meitner-Auger electron therapy of breast cancer" - Chahat Suri

Chair: Hanne Ostergaard

Annie Tong, "NHP2 as a novel vulnerability in ovarian cancer"

Jacob Korodimas, "The role of fatty acid binding protein 4 and saturated fatty acids in cancer-related lymphedema progression"

Asna Latif, "Using novel drug design targeting gamma-glutamyl transferase to attenuate cisplatin-induced hearing loss in pediatric cancer patients"

Isabelle Nechala, "Preclinical evaluation demonstrates therapeutic potential for MEK inhibition in NF1-deficient high-grade serous carcinomas"

Tannaz Seyyedi, "p53-associated de novo activation of VWF expression in tumor cells"

Shahad Al-Imarah, "Investigating the effects of alternative energy sources on the metabolism of colorectal cancer with different DNA repair subtypes"

Arina Pang, "Investigating how an immune challenge impacts the trajectory of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy"

Abigail Hill, "DHA indcues change in cholesterol metabolism in glioblastoma stem-like cells"

Chair: Cheng-Han Lee

10:30 AM: "The influence of interleukin-6 on anti-tumour immunity in different colorectal cancer subtypes" - Taylor Holtom

10:40 AM: "Polymeric micelle formation of S4, a novel PNKP inhibitor, potentiates the activity of SN-38 in colorectal cancer cells" - Sara Abdelhafeez

10:50 AM: "Virtual surgical planning for tongue reconstruction: From simulations to 3D-printed surgical guides" - Amir Isazadeh

11:00 AM: "Monte Carlo-based dose verification of model-based treatment plans for the Alberta Linac-MR" - Alireza Gazor

11:10 AM: "Elucidating the effects of immunotherapy on Marjolin's ulcers" - Ayden MacEachen

11:20 AM: "Studying the binding modes of SHP2 allosteric inhibitors" - Maryam Jama

Chair: Yangxin Fu

10:30 AM: "Novel Hsp90 inhibitors as leads for the development of radiotheragnostics for Meitner-Auger electron therapy" - Alex Kennedy

10:40 AM: "Next-generation strategy for cervical cancer through dual inhibition of Wee1 and Myt1 kinases" - Sharon Wu

10:50 AM: "The role of TLR4+ pain sensing neurons in cisplatin-mediated neuropathic pain" - Kainat Meherali

11:00 AM: "Differential predictive roles of chemotherapy response score for Olaparib and Niraparib in treatment of tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas" - Preety Nijjar

11:10 AM: "Investigating Myt1 kinase as a link between lipid metabolism and cancer drug resistance" - Samantha Blackwood

11:20 AM: "Artificial intelligence-powered automation in gynecological brachytherapy treatment planning" - Ali Islam

Synopsis: 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of cancer research, ranging from deep learning models analyzing radiological images to language models structuring unstructured clinical notes. In this presentation, Dr. Haibe-Kains will explore the transition from traditional machine learning modeling to advanced multimodal foundation models, showcasing how these technologies enhance predictive oncology and clinical trial matching. He will also highlight how transparent, reproducible, and clinically usable AI tools can bridge the gap between raw data and actionable insight. He will conclude with a vision of “agentic AI” systems that do not just process information, but collaborate with scientists to drive discovery, a potential paradigm shift in cancer research.

Chair: Paula Robson

1:30 PM: Emily Walker, "Cancer Care Alberta’s Precision Analytics Program: Using advanced modeling to anticipate future cancer care needs"

1:45 PM: J. Ross Mitchell, "AI in Healthcare"

2:00 PM: Xingyu Li, "AI-Driven Innovations in Histopathology Workflow"

2:15 PM: Q&A