Cancer’s leading thinkers. Together in one room. 2024 FORUMS RECAP
INTRODUCTION Eight Forbeck Cancer Forums were held during 2024. They focused on cancer and nanotechnology; non-genetic drug tolerance; cancer genome rearrangement mechanisms; molecular mechanisms underlying metastasis; interactions between the host, environment and tumor; fusion oncogenes; cellular quiescence and tumor dormancy; and disparities amongst populations participating in cancer research. Experts, mainly from the USA and Europe, plus Forbeck Scholars and Forbeck Foundation Scientific Advisory Board members, attended each Forum. The goals of the Forums are to facilitate discussion amongst the participants and identify potential new areas of research. In addition to the discussion of new ideas and research results during the sessions, networking and informal conversations during the breaks often lead to new scientific collaborations. NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY TECHNIQUES AND NON-GENETIC DRUG TOLERANCE Nanotechnology is a disruptive technology that may have an exceptional impact on cancer research, diagnostics and therapy 1 . It can be used to target aberrant metabolic pathways in tumors; specific genetic mutations; and immune evasion mechanisms. Nanotechnology may facilitate personalized treatments that can be adapted to combat evolving cancer phenotypes. During the Forum, a diverse group of cancer biologists, tumor immunologists, nanotechnologists, and bioengineers discussed cancer and nanotechnology; nano-immune-engineering; nanovaccines; targeted delivery of antigens to dendritic cells; and genome editing. They emphasized the need to comprehend and manipulate cancer biology and immune responses by capitalizing on the precision and adaptability afforded by nanotechnology. The Forum’s dynamic and collaborative atmosphere generated enthusiasm for future gatherings with an emphasis on bioengineering and translation science to benefit patients with various cancers. The goal of the Forum on Non-genetic Drug Tolerance Mechanisms was to bring together experts from the fields of epigenetics, metabolism, single cell genomics, microbial persistence, and the emerging field of cancer persisters (a rare subpopulation of cancer cells that are involved in treatment failure) 2 . Discussions focused on defining the functional phenotype of cancer persisters; identifying innovative models to study persister cells; and devising novel strategies to target these rare minimal disease (MRD) like cells. The goal was to design studies that can provide strong clinical evidence of the existence of persister populations in different tumor types and identify ways to target them to prevent disease recurrence. The Forum provided a unique opportunity to create the intellectual infrastructure and
common ground that is needed to propel the field of cancer persistence forward. MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CANCER GROWTH AND METASTASES The Forum on cancer genome rearrangements brought together investigators, who work in cancer genomics, genome instability, cell division, DNA damage and repair, and who do not typically interact with one another³. The participants included physician-scientists, established cancer investigators, early-career investigators, active and former Forbeck Scholars, as well as new Scholars. The main topics were: mechanistic insights obtained from large scale cancer genome sequencing efforts; investigating how cells respond to various DNA lesions; how chromosome segregation defects can trigger genomic alterations; and how cancer genomes undergo punctuated evolution.
2024 FORUM TOPICS & CO-CHAIRS
1CANCER AND NANOTECHNOLOGY Jinming Gao, UT Southwestern Medical Center, TX, USA; Natalie Artzi, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA 2NON-GENETIC DRUG TOLERANCE MECHANISMS: FROM BACTERIA TO CANCER Shruti Bhatt, National University of Singapore; Singapore Anthony Letai, MD, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA 3MECHANISMS OF CANCER GENOME REARRANGEMENTS Peter Ly, UT Southwestern Medical Center; TX, USA; Titia De Lange, Rockefeller University, NY, USA; Isidro Cortes- Ciriano, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL- EBI), Cambridge, UK 4MOLECULAR MECHANISMS DRIVING METASTASIS: MOVING DISCOVERY TOWARDS THERAPY Raul Mostoslavsky, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA; Karen Vousden, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK; Salvador Aznar Benitah, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Barcelona, Spain 5ENVIRONMENT, HOST AND TUMOR INTERACTIONS Janelle Ayres, The Salk Institute, CA, USA; Mark Febbraio, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia 6FUSION ONCOGENE James Amatruda, University of Southern California (USC), CA, USA; Kimberly Stegmaier, Harvard University, MA, USA 7CELLULAR QUIESCENCE AND TUMOR DORMANCY Hilary Coller, UCLA, CA, USA; Sabrina L. Spencer, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA 8ADDRESSING DISPARITIES AMONG POPULATIONS IN CANCER RESEARCH Carla Daniela Robles Espinoza, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico; Cassie Kline, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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