Allison Institute Scientific Symposium

James Allison, Ph.D.
Dr. James (Jim) Allison is the founding director of the James P. Allison Institute, Regental Professor and chair of Immunology and the executive director of the Immunotherapy Platform at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He earned the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with Dr. Tasuku Honjo "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation." Among his most notable discoveries are the determination of the T cell receptor structure and that CD28 is the major costimulatory molecule that allows full activation of naïve T cells and prevents anergy in T cell clones. His lab resolved a major controversy by demonstrating that CTLA-4 inhibits T cell activation by opposing CD28-mediated costimulation and that blockade of CTLA-4 could enhance T cell responses leading to tumor rejection in animal models. Dr. Allison's groundbreaking work has revolutionized cancer treatment and saved thousands of lives.

William McKeon
President & CEO, Texas Medical Center

William “Bill” McKeon is responsible for driving strategic, operational and programmatic initiatives across the Texas Medical Center’s member institutions to enhance its leadership position in the life sciences. McKeon joined the Texas Medical Center in 2013 as executive vice president, chief operating and strategy officer. McKeon has served as an executive for some of the leading companies and institutions in the world, including DuPont, Stanford University Medical Center, Raytel, US Oncology and Medtronic. His experience as a President and CEO includes heading up industry-changing companies MicroPort Medical Co. in Shanghai and Cellnovo in London. He holds a Bachelor of Science in legal studies from Roger Williams University and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of San Francisco – School of Management.

Linghua Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Linghua Wang is an associate professor of Genomic Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, an associate member of the Allison Institute and an affiliate member of the Institute for Data Science in Oncology. Dr. Wang leads a computational biology laboratory focusing on deep profiling of the tumor ecosystem, emphasizing cellular and molecular heterogeneity, phenotypic plasticity and interactions between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment. Her lab utilizes advanced single-cell and spatial multi-omics technologies alongside innovative bioinformatics tools to study tumor initiation, progression, metastasis and resistance to therapy. Among many awards, Dr. Wang has received the Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research, the Sabin Fellow Award and the MD Anderson President's Award for Faculty Research Excellence.

Gary Ruvkun, Ph.D.
Dr. Gary Ruvkun's research has explored two major themes: regulation by microRNA of genes and other small RNAs and control of longevity and metabolism by insulin and other endocrine pathways. In the miRNA field, he and Victor Ambros discovered that the developmental switch gene lin-14 is regulated by the 21 nucleotide lin-4 microRNA, which basepairs to complementary regulatory elements in the lin-14 3’ untranslated region to repress translation. His lab identified the second microRNA, let-7, which also regulates translation of its target gene via imperfect base pairing to the 3’ untranslated region of that mRNA, and showed that the sequence and regulation of the let-7 microRNA is conserved across animal phylogeny. Thousands of miRNAs have subsequently been discovered and are now implicated in control of gene expression of across eukaryotic phylogeny. Saturation genetic analysis of the miRNA, RNAi and endogenous small RNA pathways by his lab has revealed many of the protein cofactors that may mediate other steps in how miRNAs and siRNAs, both exogenous and endogenous, engage their targets. His lab also discovered that an insulin-like signaling pathway controls C. elegans metabolism and longevity. The lab's saturation genetic analysis of the pathway identified most of the signaling components, including daf-16, a Forkhead transcription factor that illuminated the function of the mammalian FoxO transcription factors, now intensively studied as insulin signaling transcriptional outputs. His lab has also used full genome RNAi libraries to explore the complete set of genes that regulate aging and metabolism.

Catherine J. Wu, M.D.
Dr. Catherine Wu is a professor of Medicine and chief of the Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Physicians. She is also the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Sjoberg Award. Dr. Wu received her M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed her clinical training in Internal Medicine and Hematology-Oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber. She joined the staff at Dana-Farber in 2000. At Dana-Farber, she has initiated an integrated program of research and clinical activities that focuses on dissecting the basis of effective anti-tumor immunity. Dr. Wu's laboratory has focused on the use of genomics-based approaches to discover immunogenic antigen targets and to understand the molecular basis of therapeutic response and resistance. She has led early-phase clinical trials to test personalized tumor vaccines in melanoma and glioblastoma.

Ton N. Schumacher, Ph.D.
Dr. Ton Schumacher is principal investigator at The Netherlands Cancer Institute and Oncode Institute and professor of Immunotechnology at Leiden University. Research of the Schumacher Lab focuses on the design of novel technologies with which T cell responses can be measured or manipulated and the subsequent use of these technologies to understand how T cells recognize and destroy human cancer. A particular goal of ongoing work in the lab is formed by the long-term aim to predict the specificity of T cells from just TCR sequence information, potentially opening up a series of diagnostic and therapeutic applications in immuno-oncology and in other disease areas. Dr. Schumacher is recipient of, amongst others, the Queen Wilhelmina Cancer Research Award, Meyenburg Cancer Research Award, William B. Coley Award and Louis Jeantet Prize for Medicine, and he is Fellow of the AACR and Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Schumacher is also founder of a number of biotechs that focus on the development of novel cancer immunotherapeutics.

Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D.
Dr. Phillip Sharp is an Institute Professor emeritus at MIT and member of the Department of Biology and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. His research interests have centered on the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to cancer and the mechanisms of RNA splicing. His work in 1977 provided the first indications of “discontinuous genes” in mammalian cells. This discovery fundamentally changed scientists’ understanding of gene structure and earned him the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. A native of Kentucky, Dr. Sharp earned a B.A. degree from Union College, Barbourville, KY, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Dr. Sharp was a co-founder of Biogen (1978) and served as chair of its Scientific Advisory Board and member of the Board of Directors. He co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (2002) and serves as chair of its Scientific Advisory Board and member of the Board of Directors.

Xi Chen, Ph.D.
Dr. Xi Chen is an associate professor of Experimental Therapeutics at MD Anderson Cancer Center and an associate member of the James P. Allison Institute. He is renowned for his research in cancer biology, focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. Dr. Chen's work involves innovative studies on endoplasmic reticulum stress and its role in maintaining hematopoietic stem cell identity and interactions within the tumor microenvironment. His research aims to develop new therapeutic strategies by targeting specific cellular pathways involved in cancer cell survival and resistance.

Hojong Yoon, Ph.D.
Dr. Hojong Yoon's long-term research goal is to expand the druggable proteome to advance small molecule-based cancer therapies. Despite significant progress in small molecule drug discovery, challenges remain in targeting certain disease-causing proteins such as transcription factors, which are often considered undruggable. The molecular glue approach, which induces proximity between two proteins, has demonstrated clinical efficacy in addressing these intractable cancer targets. However, most molecular glues have been discovered serendipitously, and currently, there is a lack of systematic methods for identifying such molecules. In light of this, he envisions establishing a research program dedicated to discovering molecular glues that can drive proximity-driven pharmacology.

Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D.
Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi is a distinguished chemist and the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University. She is also the Baker Family Director of Sarafan ChEM-H and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Bertozzi's research focuses on cell surface glycosylation and its implications for diseases such as cancer, inflammation and bacterial infection. She pioneered the field of bioorthogonal chemistry, enabling chemical reactions inside living organisms without disrupting native biochemical processes. Her recent work includes developing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in immuno-oncology and creating innovative nanotechnologies for probing biological systems. Dr. Bertozzi's contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.

Alice Park, M.D.
Alice Park is a senior health correspondent at TIME magazine. She has been reporting on health and medicine for TIME since 1993, covering groundbreaking developments in areas such as AIDS, anxiety, Alzheimer's disease, cancer and more. Park is the author of "The Stem Cell Hope: How Stem Cell Medicine Can Change Our Lives," and she is known for her in-depth articles on the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health, CRISPR and advances in gene therapy. Her work has earned her two CASE media fellowships, and she is a prominent voice in health journalism.

James Allison, Ph.D.
Dr. James (Jim) Allison is the founding director of the James P. Allison Institute, Regental Professor and chair of Immunology and the executive director of the Immunotherapy Platform at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He earned the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with Dr. Tasuku Honjo "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation." Among his most notable discoveries are the determination of the T cell receptor structure and that CD28 is the major costimulatory molecule that allows full activation of naïve T cells and prevents anergy in T cell clones. His lab resolved a major controversy by demonstrating that CTLA-4 inhibits T cell activation by opposing CD28-mediated costimulation and that blockade of CTLA-4 could enhance T cell responses leading to tumor rejection in animal models. Dr. Allison's groundbreaking work has revolutionized cancer treatment and saved thousands of lives.

Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D.
Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi is a distinguished chemist and the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University. She is also the Baker Family Director of Sarafan ChEM-H and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Bertozzi's research focuses on cell surface glycosylation and its implications for diseases such as cancer, inflammation and bacterial infection. She pioneered the field of bioorthogonal chemistry, enabling chemical reactions inside living organisms without disrupting native biochemical processes. Her recent work includes developing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in immuno-oncology and creating innovative nanotechnologies for probing biological systems. Dr. Bertozzi's contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.

Gary Ruvkun, Ph.D.
Dr. Gary Ruvkun's research has explored two major themes: regulation by microRNA of genes and other small RNAs and control of longevity and metabolism by insulin and other endocrine pathways. In the miRNA field, he and Victor Ambros discovered that the developmental switch gene lin-14 is regulated by the 21 nucleotide lin-4 microRNA, which basepairs to complementary regulatory elements in the lin-14 3’ untranslated region to repress translation. His lab identified the second microRNA, let-7, which also regulates translation of its target gene via imperfect base pairing to the 3’ untranslated region of that mRNA, and showed that the sequence and regulation of the let-7 microRNA is conserved across animal phylogeny. Thousands of miRNAs have subsequently been discovered and are now implicated in control of gene expression of across eukaryotic phylogeny. Saturation genetic analysis of the miRNA, RNAi and endogenous small RNA pathways by his lab has revealed many of the protein cofactors that may mediate other steps in how miRNAs and siRNAs, both exogenous and endogenous, engage their targets. His lab also discovered that an insulin-like signaling pathway controls C. elegans metabolism and longevity. The lab's saturation genetic analysis of the pathway identified most of the signaling components, including daf-16, a Forkhead transcription factor that illuminated the function of the mammalian FoxO transcription factors, now intensively studied as insulin signaling transcriptional outputs. His lab has also used full genome RNAi libraries to explore the complete set of genes that regulate aging and metabolism.

Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D.
Dr. Phillip Sharp is an Institute Professor emeritus at MIT and member of the Department of Biology and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. His research interests have centered on the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to cancer and the mechanisms of RNA splicing. His work in 1977 provided the first indications of “discontinuous genes” in mammalian cells. This discovery fundamentally changed scientists’ understanding of gene structure and earned him the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. A native of Kentucky, Dr. Sharp earned a B.A. degree from Union College, Barbourville, KY, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Dr. Sharp was a co-founder of Biogen (1978) and served as chair of its Scientific Advisory Board and member of the Board of Directors. He co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (2002) and serves as chair of its Scientific Advisory Board and member of the Board of Directors.

Sangeeta Goswami, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Sangeeta Goswami is an associate professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology and assistant member of the James P. Allison Institute at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Goswami's research focuses on identifying pathways of response and resistance to immunotherapy in genitourinary cancers, particularly bladder and kidney cancers. Her work combines clinical and laboratory research to develop novel immunotherapeutic strategies. Dr. Goswami has led several early-phase clinical trials aimed at improving treatment outcomes for cancer patients. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to cancer research.

Andrea Scheitinger, Ph.D.

Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Padmanee (Pam) Sharma is the director of scientific programs for the Allison Institute, the inaugural scientific director of the Immunotherapy Platform and a professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her pioneering work in immune checkpoint therapy has been instrumental in developing FDA-approved treatments for various cancers, including bladder and renal cell carcinoma. Dr. Sharma's research focuses on understanding tumor rejection and resistance mechanisms, which she uses to design innovative clinical trials. Among many awards, she has received the National Science Award, Innovator of the Year Award and Fellow of the AACR.

Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Betty Kim is a professor of Neurosurgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research is centered on developing novel nanotechnology-based therapeutics for the treatment of brain tumors. Dr. Kim's work integrates advanced nanomedicine techniques with immunotherapy to enhance the delivery and efficacy of cancer treatments. She has led several pioneering studies in the field, focusing on overcoming the blood-brain barrier to improve drug delivery to brain tumors. Dr. Kim has been recognized with numerous awards, including the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and the MD Anderson Faculty Achievement Award in Basic Research.

Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Antoni Ribas is professor of medicine, surgery and molecular and medical pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC). Dr. Ribas is a physician-scientist conducting laboratory and clinical translational research in how melanoma responds to or resists cancer immunotherapies and developing gene engineered adoptive cell transfer therapies. He has been instrumental in the clinical development of several agents approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including the first anti-PD-1 pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and the anti-CTLA-4 tremelimumab (Imjudo), as well as two combinations of BRAF and MEK inhibitors, vemurafenib (Zelboraf) and cobimetinib (Cotellic), and dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist). He is a past president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), an elected Fellow of the AACR Academy, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and the US National Academy of Medicine.