Global Summit and Award Ceremonies
for Cancer Research & Entrepreneurship

Upcoming: Friday, 18 October 2024 

 

Co-Hosted by 

AIM-HI-logo-1024x297

The Asian Fund for Cancer Research, National Foundation for Cancer Research, and AIM-HI Accelerator Fund will co-host a content-rich event celebrating cancer research discoveries and the impact of oncology innovation. Featured Programs include New Frontiers in Cancer Research, Women’s Leadership Award Ceremony, and Szent-Györgyi Prize Award Ceremony.

The event will be held live in Washington, DC, USA, and also streamed online for those unable to attend in person. Attendees will include cancer research donors, cancer patients, academic and industry professionals, and other public members interested in learning about cancer research discoveries and the powerful disease-fighting products and tools.

We hope you will join us!

Why Should You Attend This Event?

  • Be inspired by world-renowned speakers on the latest landscape change of translational cancer research
  • Actively engage in thought-provoking discussions with key opinion leaders
  • Personally interact with award-winning pioneer scientists and join the celebration of their breakthrough cancer discoveries

2023 Program Agenda

Part I: New Frontiers for Cancer Research

8:30 pm – 12:30 am

8:30 pm – 8:40 pm:

Opening and Welcome Remarks:

Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., President & CEO of NFCR, Co-Founder of AIM-HI & Founder of AFCR

Webster K. Cavenee, Ph.D., Chair of NFCR Scientific Advisory Board; Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego

8:40 pm – 9:10 pm:

Keynote Speech:

James P. Allison, Ph.D., Professor & Chair of Immunology, Executive Director of Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Session I: New Approaches to Cancer Treatments

9:10 pm – 10:30 pm:

Moderator: Suzanne Topalian, M.D., Professor of Oncology and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University

Panel Members:

  • Kornelia Polyak, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard
  • Avery D. Posey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
  • Azra Raza, M.D., Chan Soon-Shiong Professor of Medicine, Columbia University in New York
  • Thea D. Tlsty, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology, University of California San Francisco

10:30 pm -10:45 pm Coffee Break

Session II: Panel Discussion on Precision Medicine

10:45 pm – 11:35 pm:

Moderator: Brian Leyland-Jones, MBBS, Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer & Board Director, NFCR

Panel Members: 

  • Massimo Cristofanilli, M.D., Chief, Breast Medical Oncology, Weil Cornell Medicine
  • Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D., Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
  • Min Li, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Surgery and Cell Biology, The University of Oklahoma
  • Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D., Abeloff Professor of Oncology, Medicine, Pathology and Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins Medicine
  • W. K. Alfred Yung, M.D., Professor of Neuro-oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Session III: Szent-Györgyi Prize Panel on Status of Cancer Biology

11:35 pm – 12:30 am:

Moderator: Douglas R. Lowy, M.D., Principal Deputy Director, National Cancer Institute

Panel Members:

  • Webster K. Cavenee, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego
  • Carlo M. Croce, M.D., John W. Wolfe Chair in Human Cancer Genetics, The Ohio State University
  • Rakesh K. Jain, Ph.D., Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School
  • Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute
  • Peter K. Vogt, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research

Part II: Luncheon Award Ceremony and Forum for Women’s Leadership & Entrepreneurship 

1:00 am – 2:15 am

Beacon Award Ceremony

1:00 am – 1:40 am:

Emcee: Rose Wang, MBA, Board Director of AIM-HI; Founder & CEO of 1104 Health

Welcome Remarks & Introduction of the 2023 Beacon Award Recipient:

Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., President & CEO of NFCR, Co-Founder of AIM-HI, & Founder of AFCR; Co-Chair of the 2023 Beacon Award Selection Committee

Presenting the Beacon Award Medallion to the Recipient by the Award Selection Committee Members

2023 Beacon Award Winner Award Speech:

Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., Director, National Cancer Institute

2023 Women's Venture Competition Award Ceremony

1:40 am – 2:15 am:

Pamela Garzone, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the Competition Selection & Judging Committees; Chief Development Officer of Anixa Biosciences

Dimitra Georganopoulou, Ph.D.,Co-Chair of the Competition Investment Committee; General Partner of Qral Ventures

  • First Prize: Sarah Hein, Ph.D., Co-Founder & CEO of March Biosciences
  • Second Prize: Lily Zou, Ph.D., MBA, CEO & Co-Founder of Degron Therapeutics

2:15 am - 2:30 am Coffee Break

Part III: Emerging Oncology Companies Showcase

2:30 am – 3:30 am

Presentations by Emerging Oncology Companies

2:30 am – 3:20 am:

Moderator: Matt Tremblay, Ph.D., Chair of the Board, AIM-HI; CEO of Blackbird Laboratories

  • Ignacio Asial, Ph.D., Founder & CEO of DotBio
  • Stacy Blain, Ph.D., Co-Founder, CSO & Acting CEO of Concarlo Therapeutics
  • Jeremiah Johnson, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Chair – Scientific Advisory Board, & Director of Window Therapeutics
  • John Luk, DMedSc, EMBA, CEO of Arbele Bio
  • Andrea van Elsas, Ph.D., CSO of ManaT Bio

3:20 am – 3:30 am:

Q&A

3:30 am:

Closing Remarks:

Matt Tremblay, Ph.D., Chair of the Board, AIM-HI; CEO of Blackbird Laboratories

Intermission

Part IV: 2023 Szent-Györgyi Prize Cocktail & Dinner Award Ceremony

7:00 am – 9:00 am Szent-Györgyi Prize Dinner & Award Ceremony

7:00 am – 9:00 am:

Szent-Györgyi Prize Dinner Award Ceremony

Moment of Silence

Opening and Welcome Remarks:

Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., President & CEO of NFCR, Co-Founder of AIM-HI, & Founder of AFCR; Co-Chair of the 2023 Selection Committee for the Szent-Györgyi Prize

Keynote Speech:

Helmut Sies, M.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

Introduction of the 2023 Szent-Györgyi Prize Winner:

Rakesh K. Jain, Ph.D., 2022 Szent-Györgyi Prize Winner & Chair of the 2023 Selection Committee for the Szent-Györgyi Prize; Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School; Director, Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Award Trophy Presentation:

Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the 2023 Selection Committee for the Szent-Györgyi Prize

2023 Szent-Györgyi Prize Winner Award Speech:

Isaac P. Witz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University; Head of the Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment & Metastasis Research at The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences

Acknowledgments & Closing Remarks:

Alfred Slanetz, Ph.D., Chair of the Board, NFCR; CEO of Geneius Biotechnology

Sponsorship Opportunities

Inquiries regarding event sponsorship can be made by e-mail at contact@afcr.org.