Seminars
Molecular & Cellular Oncology Distinguished Scientist Seminar Series
The Molecular and Cellular Oncology (MCO) Distinguished Scientist Seminar Series brings scientists together to share their top notch research with colleagues in the institution. This seminar has been established for more than 20 years and is open to our faculty and trainees. In FY25, the seminar will be held on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon Central either in person with a physical location or via Zoom with zoom link.
Organizers:
Dr. Dihua Yu, Professor and Chair ad interim, Molecular & Cellular Oncology
Dr. Haoqiang Ying, Associate Professor, Molecular & Cellular Oncology
Seminar Coordinator(s):
Deborah H. Henson, Sr. Administrative Assistant, Molecular & Cellular Oncology, Email: DHHenson@mdanderson.org
Upcoming Speakers
FY25
Rescheduled.
“Identifying metabolic dependencies of primary versus metastatic pancreatic cancer"
Rushika M. Perera, Ph.D.
Deborah Cowan Endowed Associate Professor,
School of Medicine Vice Chair, Department of Anatom
CSO, UCSF Pancreas Center
University of California, San Francisco
Hosts: Dr. Dihua Yu and Dr. Haoqiang Ying
Past Speakers
FY2025
November 13, 2024
Zayed, Z2.4040 Rooms
Time:11:00am – 12:00pm (CST)
“AI-Designed Protein Biosensors to Understand and Manipulate Cancer Signaling”
Jason Zhang, Ph.D.NCI K99 Fellow in David Baker Lab
Department of BiochemistryUniversity of Washington
Hosts: Drs. Dihua Yu
October 9, 2024
Zayed, Z2.4040 Rooms 2-5
11 a.m. until noon
“Marker-Guided Effective Therapy (MGET)”
Mien-Chie Hung, Ph.D
President & Chair Professor
China Medical University
Taichung, Taiwan
Hosts: Drs. Dihua Yu and Haoqiang Ying
September 18, 2024
Zayed, Z2.4040 Rooms 2-5 (in person seminar only, no zoom link available)
11 a.m. until noon
"Cabozantinib Increases the Efficacy of Pembrolizumab by a Multitargeted Reprogramming of the Pancreatic Tumor Microenvironment"
Yana Zavros, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Head for Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM), University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson
Director, Tissue Acquisition and Cellular/Molecular Analysis Shared Resource, University of Arizona Cancer Center
Hosts: Drs. Yuan-Hung Lo and Dihua Yu
September 4, 2024
Zayed, Z2.4040 Rooms 2-5 (in person seminar only, no zoom link available)
11 a.m. to noon
"Tumor-stromal Metabolic Cross-talk and Therapy Response in Pancreatic Cancer"
Pankaj K. Singh, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Oncology Science
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Hosts: Drs. Chunru Lin and Dihua Yu
FY2024
June 19, 2024
Functional Dissection of Stem Cell Plasticity in Skin Cancer and Aging
Yejing Ge, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Biology
CPRIT Scholar of Cancer Research
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Drs. Yuan-Hung Lo, Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
May 22, 2024
Special Seminar: Chemical and Synthetic Biology Routes to Unveiling Host-Pathogen/Cancer Dialogue
Aerin Yang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, CA
Host: Dr. Dihua Yu
May 8, 2024
A Link Between Innate Immune Signaling and Genome Surveillance
John H Petrini, Ph.D.
Chair, Molecular Biology Program
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York
Hosts: Drs. John Tainer and Dihua Yu
April 24, 2024
Immune-Engineering Approaches for Cancer Therapy
Yon Son Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Neurosurgery
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
April 17, 2024
3D Genomic Interactions in Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis
Xiaotian Zhang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, McGovern Medical School
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
April 3, 2024
Chromatin Regulation and Cancer
Shi Yang, Ph.D.
Professor of Epigenetics
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
University of Oxford, UK
Hosts: Drs. Min Gyu Lee, Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
March 6, 2024
Emerging Mechanisms of DNA Damage Tolerance in Breast Cancer
Gaorav P. Gupta, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
Co-Leader, Breast Cancer Research Program, Lienberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hosts: Drs. Dihua Yu, John Tainer, Haoqiang Ying
February 7, 2024
How Stromal Fibroblasts Sculpt Cancer Invasion and Cancer Evolution
Erik Sahai, Ph.D., FMedSci
Principal Group Leader and Assistant Research Director
The Francis Crick Institute
President of the Metastasis Research Society
London, UK
Host: Dihua Yu
January 24, 2024
Targeting KRAS for Cancer Treatment: The Long and Winding Road
Channing J. Der, Ph.D.
Sarah Graham Kenan
Distinguished Professor
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying, Dihua Yu
December 13, 2023
Response and Resistance to KRAS Inhibition in Pancreatic Cancer
Andrew Aguirre, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Hosts: Drs. Tainer, Haoqiang Ying, Dihua Yu
December 6, 2023
Targeting the intersection of DNA Damage Response and Androgen Signaling in Prostate Cancer
Patrick G. Pilié, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Genitourinary Medical Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Drs. John Tainer, Haoqiang Ying, Dihua Yu
November 29, 2023
INF Signaling in the Interplay Between T Cells and Tumor Cells
Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D.
Charles B. de Nancrede Professor
Professor of Pathology, Immunology, Biology, and Surgery
Medical School University of Michigan
Host: Drs. Honami Naora, Haoqiang Ying, Dihua Yu
November 15, 2023
Transcription Factor Interactions Revealed by Genetic Screens
Christopher Vakoc, M.D., Ph.D.
Alan and Edith Seligson Professor of Cancer Research
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York
Hosts: Drs. Min Gyu Lee, Haoqiang Ying, Dihua Yu
October 25, 2023
Epigenetic Approaches to Gynecological Cancers
Rugang Zhang , Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Experimental Therapeutics
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
October 11, 2023
Uncovering the Immunological Drivers of Protective Immunity following PD-1 Immunotherapy in Cancer
Kristen Pauken, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Immunology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
October 4, 2023
Strategies to Challenge Brain Metastasis Lethality in Mice and Human
Manuel Valiente, DVM, PhD
Group LeaderBrain Metastasis Group
Molecular Oncology Programmee, CNIO
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
September 18, 2023
Advancing Asian Genomics-Molecular Predictors of Disease in Individuals and Populations
Patrick Tan, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Vice Dean
Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
Hosts: Drs. Yuan-Hung Lo, Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
FY2023
June 7, 2023
Mitochondrial Regulation of Kidney Diseases
Farhad R. Danesh, M.D.
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Division of Internal Medicine
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Host: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
May 24, 2023
Origins and Effects of Stromal Cells in Aging and Cancer
Mikhail Kolonin, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Center for Metabolic and Degenerative Diseases
Harry E Bovay, Jr. Distinguished University Chair in Metabolic Disease Research
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
May 17, 2023
Signaling Mechanism and Therapeutic Targeting of LGR4/5/6 for the Cancer Treatment
Qingyun Jim Liu, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Center for Translational Cancer Research
Janice Davis Gordon Chair for Bowel Cancer Research
Member, Texas Therapeutics Institute
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Host: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
May 3, 2023
The world of viruses and its evolution
Eugene V. Koonin, Ph.D.
NIH Distinguished Investigator
Evolutionary Genomics Research Group
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Hosts: Drs. John Tainer and Dihua Yu
April 5, 2023
Bring the Power of Antibodies to the Bone
Xiao Han, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Biosciences, and Bioengineering
CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
Rice University
Hosts: Drs. Chunru Lin, Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
March 29, 2023
New Insights into Regeneration and Cancer of the Liver
Li Ma, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Host: Drs. Min Gyu Lee, Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
March 15, 2023
Targeting MDM2 Oncogene in Cancer Drug Discovery: Are we there yet?
Ruiwen Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Robert L. Boblitt Endowed Professor in Drug Discovery
Director of the Drug Discovery Institute
University of Houston
Host: Dr. Dihua Yu
March 1, 2023
Targeting Cancer Metabolism for Diagnostics and Therapy
H. Charles Manning, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Cancer Systems Imaging
Division of Diagnostic Imaging
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Host: Dr. Dihua Yu
February 15, 2023
T-Cells: Targets and Tenacity
Cassian Yee, M.D.
Kenneth Muller Professor in Melanoma Research
Professor Melanoma Medical Oncology, Professor Immunology
Director Program in TCR-based Therapeutics
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Host: Dr. Dihua Yu
February 8, 2023
Tumor Cell-intrinsic and Extrinsic Determinants for Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness
Li Xin, Ph.D.
Professor, Pritt Family Endowed Chair
Department of Urology
University of Washington
Hosts: Drs. Chunru Lin, Liuqing Yang and Dihua Yu
January 18, 2023
Mechanisms and consequences of pancreatic cancer stromal evolution
Mara Sherman, Ph.D.
Associate Member, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
December 7, 2022
Canonical and Noncanonical Functions of MLL in Cancer
Yali Dou, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Marion and Harry Keiper Chair in Cancer Research
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Hosts: Drs. Min Gyu Lee and Dihua Yu
November 9, 2022
Untangling Cellular Networks in Cancer with Single-Cell Omics, Patient Organoids, and Mouse Models
Jeroen P. Roose, Ph.D.
Professor and Vice Chair
Department of Anatomy
University of California San Francisco
Hosts: Drs. Paul Chiao, Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
November 2, 2022
The Systemic Effects of Breast Cancer-derived Extracellular Vesicles
Shizhen Emily Wang, Ph.D.
Professor, Pathology
University of California San Diego
Hosts: Drs. Honami Naora and Dihua Yu
Oct 26, 2022
Anti-Tumor Immunity in the Omentum: Tregs, Microbiota, and Metabolism
Troy Randall, Ph.D.
Professor-Immunology and Rheumatology
Department of Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Hosts: Drs. Honami Naora and Dihua Yu
October 12, 2022
Cardio-Oncology-A Novel Platform for Investigation
Javid Moslehi, M.D.
William Grossman Distinguished Professor in Cardiology
Section Chief, Cardio-Oncology & Immunology
Associate Professor in Residence
UCSF School of Medicine
Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI)
Hosts: Drs. Dihua Yu, Chunru Lin and Liuqing Yang
October 5, 2022
Ferroaddiction in KRAS-Driven Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Eric A. Collisson, M.D.
Professor in Residence
Department of Medicine
University of California San Francisco
Hosts: Drs. Haoqiang Ying and Dihua Yu
September 7, 2022
Study Oxygen Sensing Pathways in Cancers
Qing Zhang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pathology
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Hosts: Drs. Chunru Lin, Liuqing Yang and Dihua Yu
FY2022
June 22, 2022
Interrogation of Neoantigen-Specific T Cells Towards Improving Cancer Immunotherapy
Matthew Gubin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Immunology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Haoqiang Ying, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
June 8, 2022
New Insights into T Cell-Mediated Tumor Control
Mauro Di Pilato, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Immunology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Host: Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
May 25, 2022
Cellular and Molecular Determinant of Response to Immunotherapy
Miriam Merad, M.D, Ph.D.
Director, Precision Immunology Institute (PrIISM)
Director, Human Immune Monitoring Core (HIMC)
Professor of Oncological Sciences and Medicine (Hem/Onc)
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Host: Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
May 4, 2022
Remodeling Chromatin in Cancer
Emily Bernstein, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Oncological Sciences & Dermatology
Cancer Mechanisms Program Co-leader
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Hosts: Min Gyu Lee, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
April 27, 2022
Beyond DNA Mutations: The Roles of mRNA Alternative Cleavage and Polyadenylation in Cancer
Shih-Han Lee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Genetics
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Host: Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
April 6, 2022
Pyroptosis: A New Way to Activate Anti-tumor Immunity
Zhibin Zhang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Immunology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Haoqing Ying, M.D., Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
March 30, 2022
Modeling Mucinous Gastrointestinal Cancer
Jae-Il Park, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Experimental Radiation Oncology
Division of Radiation Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Min Gyu Lee, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
March 16, 2022
Function characterization of genomic alterations in gastrointestinal cancer
Yuan-Hung Lo, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Hosts: Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
March 2, 2022
Development of novel therapeutic strategies to target the DNA Damage Response in the Clinic
Timothy Yap, MBBS, Ph.D., FRCP
Associate Professor, Investigational Cancer Therapeutics (Phase I Program), Division of Cancer Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Medical Director, The Institute for Applied Cancer Science
Associate Director of Translational Research, Khalifa Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy
Hosts: John Tainer, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
February 23, 2022
New insights into CNS immune surveillance
Jonathan Kipnis, Ph.D.
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Neurosurgery
Director, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG)
Host: Dihua Yu, M.D,. Ph.D.
February 16, 2022
Blocking Cholesterol Storage to Treat Mouse Models for Alzheimer's Disease and Niemann - Pick Type C Disease
T.Y. Chang, Ph.D.
Elected US National Academy of Sciences Member & AAAS Fellow
Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Dartmouth Medical School
Hosts: Haoqiang Ying, M.D., Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
February 9, 2022
Understanding causes and consequences of DNA replication stress
Vincenzo Costanzo, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, DNA Metabolism research program
Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (FIRC) Institute for Molecular Oncology (IFOM)
Hosts: John Tainer, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
January 26, 2022
Filming the fate of cells that carry mutations in oncogenic driver genes
Jacco van Rheenen, Ph.D.
Senior Group Leader
Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the Oncode Institute
Host: Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
January 12, 2022
The Hippo Pathway and Cancer
Kun-Liang Guan, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Moores Cancer Center
University of California, San Diego
Hosts: Chunru Lin, Ph.D., Liuqing Yang, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
December 1, 2021
Fill the gap between big cancer data to precision medicine
Han Liang, Ph.D.
Barnhart Family Distinguished Professor in Targeted Therapies, Professor, Deputy Department Chair
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Division of Basic Science Research
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hosts: Chunru Lin, Ph.D., Liuqing Yang, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
November 17, 2021
About Chomsky, Patterns, Noncoding RNAs and Cancer
George Calin, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Translational Molecular Pathology, Division of Pathology/Lab Medicine
Co-Director, The RNA Interference and non-coding RNA Center
Co-Director, M.D./Ph.D. Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Hosts: Chunru Lin, Ph.D., Liuqing Yang, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
November 3, 2021
Inflammation, nerves and the acinar origins of pancreatic cancer
Timothy Cragin Wang, M.D.
Chief, Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases
Silberberg Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine and Irving Cancer Research Center
Columbia University Medical Center
Hosts: Paul Chiao, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
October 20, 2021
Molecular and Cellular Regulation by ADP-ribosylation: From Nucleosomes to Ribosomes
W. Lee Kraus, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences
Cecil H. and Ida Green Distinguished Chair in Reproductive Biology Sciences
University of Texas Southwestern
Hosts: Chunru Lin, Ph.D., Liuqing Yang, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
October 6, 2021
Targeting MTHFD2 at the crossroad between cancer metabolism and DDR: from basic research through to pre-clinical development
Thomas Helleday, Ph.D.
Professor, Translational, Medicine and Chemical Biology
Department of Oncology and Pathology
Karolinska Institutet Sweden
Hosts: John Tainer, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
September 22, 2021
Targeting Emerging Pathways in Neurodegeneration with Novel Therapeutics
Jim Ray, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Neuroscience Director, Neurodegeneration Consortium
Therapeutics Discovery Division, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Host: Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.