Saturday, January 18, 2025
Registration (4:00–8:00 PM)
Welcome Mixer (6:00–8:00 PM)
Welcome and Keynote Address (8:00–9:00 AM)
* Brian M. Davis, University of Pittsburgh
Michelle Monje, Stanford University
Neuronal Activity Drives Glioma Growth and Initiation through both Paracrine and Synaptic Signaling
Neuron-Cancer Electrochemical and Paracrine Signaling (9:00–11:15 AM)
* Sonja Loges, German Cancer Research Center
Session Chair
Shawn Hervey-Jumper, University of California, San Francisco
Glioblastoma Remodels Functional Neural Circuits
Ihsan Ekin Demir, Technische Universität München
Neuronal Glutamate Signaling and Progression of Pancreatic Cancer
Yuan Pan, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Neuron-glial Crosstalk in NF1 Cancer Predisposition Syndrome
Matteo Bergami, University of Cologne
Short Talk: Functional Synapses Between Small Cell Lung Cancer and Glutamatergic Neurons
Coffee Break (9:30–9:50 AM)
Poster Setup (11:15–1:00 PM)
On Own for Lunch (11:15–2:30 PM)
Poster Viewing (1:00–10:00 PM)
Symposia Spotlight 1: Late-breaking research presentations selected from abstract submissions (2:30–4:30 PM)
* Jennifer Permuth, Moffitt Cancer Center
Session chair
Aeson Chang Chang, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Triple Negative Breast Cancer Hijacks the Sympathetic Nervous System to Resist Anthracycline Chemotherapy
Tara Barron, Stanford University
GABAergic Neuron-To-Glioma Synapses in Diffuse Midline Glioma
Dominick Calvao, Brown University
A 3D Multi-Cellular Cortical Microtissue Model for the Study of Glioblastoma Multiforme Pathology and Therapeutic Screening
Rouzanna Istvánffy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich
Adhesion of Cancer Cells to Schwann Cells Leads to Metabolic Adaptations with Increased Glutamine Synthetase Activity
David J Simon, Weill Cornell Medicine
Sympathetic Innervation as a Local Brake on Melanoma Growth in Mouse Models
Vera Thiel, Hi-Stem
Following the Nerve Trail: Unraveling How Cancer-Associated Neurons Shape the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer’s Progression Via Trace-N-Seq
Heloise Leblanc, Boston University
Prefrontal Cortex High-Grade Glioma Alters Neuronal-Astrocyte Dynamics and Promotes Age-Dependent Dysregulation of Acute Stress Responses
Sofia Micheli, University of Zurich
Peripheral Glia Drive the Initiation of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Coffee Available (4:30–5:00 PM)
Neuronal Influence on Cancer Initiation and Growth (5:00–7:00 PM)
* Nadine van Montfoort, Leiden University Medical Center
Session Chair
Moran Amit, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Remote Presentation: Cancer Associated Neurogenesis and its Impact on Response to Therapy
Jeremy Borniger, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
A Central Mechanism Driving Aberrant HPA-Axis Function in Breast Cancer
Karen Dixon, University of Basel
Identifying and Disrupting Neuro-Immune Circuits in Cancer
Richard Drexler, Stanford University
Short Talk: Brainstem Neuromodulatory Neurons Promote Glioma Growth Locally and Via Long-Range Projections to Midline and Cortical Structures
Hanan Bloomer, Tufts University
Short Talk: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Activate Sensory Neurons via TRPV1 to Drive Neurite Outgrowth and Tumor Progression
Social Hour with Lite Bites (7:00–8:00 PM)
Poster Session 1 (7:30–10:00 PM)
Defining and Shaping the Metastatic Microenvironment (Joint) (8:00–11:00 AM)
* Maria S Sosa, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Session Chair
* Lyse A. Norian, University of Alabama, Birmingham
Session Chair
Devon A. Lawson, University of California, Irvine
Conserved Microenvironmental Interactions Mediating Multi-Organ Metastasis
David Lyden, Weill Cornell Medical College
Tumor Induced Liver Metabolic Dysfunction Drives Metastasis
Sergei Grivennikov, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Microbiota Induced Cytokines Control Anti-Tumor Immunity and Colorectal Cancer Metastasis
Mikala Egeblad, Johns Hopkins University
Immune Control and Escape at the Metastatic Site
Alexandra Newman, New York University
Short Talk: Myocardial Infarction Increases Metastatic Cancer in The Lung
Morgan Fox, University of Colorado
Short Talk: Non-Canonical Activation of FGFR1 Drives ER+ Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis in the Aged and E2-Depleted TME
Coffee Break (9:00–9:20 AM)
Award Recipient Acknowledgement (9:20–9:25 AM)
On Own for Lunch (11:00–5:00 PM)
Poster Setup (11:00–10:00 PM)
Poster Viewing (1:00–10:00 PM)
Career Roundtable (Joint) (2:30–4:00 PM)
Frank Winkler, University Hospital Heidelberg
Professor, Physician, and Group Leader
Eric S. Lightcap, HiberCell
Vice President of Translational Sciences
Meera Murgai, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
Stadtman Investigator
Mario Flores, University of Texas at San Antonio
Assistant Professor
Coffee Break with Hot Chocolate, Firepits & Mountain Views (4:00–5:00 PM)
The Brain-Body Axis in Metastasis (Joint) (5:00–7:00 PM)
* Donna L Senger, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research/ McGill University
Session Chair
* Michelle Monje, Stanford University
Session Chair
Humsa Venkatesh, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Neuronal-Activity Dependent Mechanisms of Small Cell Lung Cancer Progression
Manuel Valiente, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre
Strategies to Challenge Brain Metastasis Lethality in Mice and Human/The Effects of Brain Metastasis on Neural Circuits
Erica K Sloan, Monash University
Blocking Stress Signaling to Control Metastatic Breast Cancer
Golnaz Morad, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Short Talk: Metastatic Brain Tumors Harbor Intracellular Bacterial Signals Associated with the Oral Microbiota
Kylynda C Bauer, National Institutes of Health - National Cancer Institute
Short Talk: Gut Microbiome Modulates Liver Cancer Via Neuroimmune Crosstalk
Social Hour with Lite Bites (7:00–8:00 PM)
Women in Science Networking Event (7:05–8:05 PM)
* Maria S Sosa, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Session Chair
* Deisy L Segura-Villalobos, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Session Chair
* Anna Adam Artigues, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Session Chair
* Michelle Monje, Stanford University
Session Chair
* Elizabeth A. Repasky, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Session Chair
Poster Session 2 (7:30–10:00 PM)
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Nervous System Effects on the Immune System and Immuno-Oncology (8:00–11:00 AM)
* Ramiro Garzon, University of Utah/Huntsman Cancer Institute
Session Chair
Sébastien Talbot, Queen’s University
Tumor-Infiltrating B Cells tune Nociceptor Neurons Immunomodulation
Nicole N Scheff, University of Pittsburgh
Sympathetic and Sensory Nerve Coupling Modulates Cancer Immunosurveillance and Growth
Elizabeth A. Repasky, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Beta Adrenergic Receptors as a Targetable Checkpoint for Reducing Immune Suppression in the Tumor Microenvironment
Alexander Birbrair, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Short Talk: Sensory Neurons Interact Directly with Melanoma Malignant Cells and Pericytes Via CGRP-RAMP1 Signaling to Promote Melanoma Metastatic Outgrowth
Ania Bogoslowski, UBC
Short Talk: TRPV1+ Nociceptors Control Tumour Growth and The Neuroimmune Landscape in Breast Cancer
Yuri Bunimovich, University of Pittsburgh
Short Talk: Tumor-Draining Lymph Node Innervation Regulates Anti-Tumor Immunity
Coffee Break (9:00–9:20 AM)
On Own for Lunch (11:00–2:30 PM)
Symposia Spotlight 2: Late-breaking research presentations selected from abstract submissions (2:30–4:30 PM)
* Masahiro Kawashima, Kyoto University
Session Chair
Jami Saloman, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
PDAC Tumor Induced Hyperinnervation in Pancreatic Draining Lymph Nodes
Javier Marco Sanz, FIMA
Modulating Conventional Type 1 Dendritic Cells to Limit Neurocognitive Sequelae After Pediatric Brain Tumor Radiotherapy
Phillip Gärtner, Technische Universität München
Monocyte-Derived Proteases Mediate Pancreatic Pain in Pancreatic Cancer
Michela Perego, Wistar Institute
Neuromedin U Activates Neutrophils to Create And Immunosuppressive Environment In Early Prostate Cancer
Yusha Sun, University of Pennsylvania
A Brain-Wide Connectome Reveals Cholinergic Synapses with Human Glioblastoma
Carmen Mota Reyes, Klinikum rechts der isar
Integrative Spatial Multiomics and Cross-Platform Analysis To Decipher Neural Invasion In Pancreatic Cancer
Anastasia Maria Zavitsanou, Columbia University
Investigating How Lung Cancer Alters Behavior Via Regulating The Internal Sensory System
Lily Yang, Emory University School of Medicine
Tumor And Stroma-Targeted Nanotherapeutics Enhance Therapeutic Efficacy In Pancreatic Cancer By Inhibiting Tumor Cell Growth, Neural Invasion, And Activating Immune Response
Coffee Available (4:30–5:00 PM)
Nervous System Effects on Cancer Invasion and Metastasis (5:00–6:45 PM)
* Chris Bakal, Institute of Cancer Research
Session Chair
Frank Winkler, University Hospital Heidelberg
Neuronal Influence on Glioma Invasion and Brain Metastasis
Richard J. Wong, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Mechanisms of Perineural Invasion
Nisha J. D'Silva, University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Neural Phenotypes in Cancer Progression
Anabel Eckerling, Tel Aviv University
Short Talk: Sympathetic Regulation of Tumor Secretome and Anti-Tumor Immunity: Perioperative Blockade of Β-Adrenergic and Prostaglandin Signaling Limits Metastatic Progression
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers) (6:45–7:00 PM)
Social Hour with Lite Bites (7:00–8:00 PM)
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Departure (12:00–11:59 PM)
