WSU-KCI-HFHS Immunology Focus Group

2025 Lectures
JUL 29 Summer Mini-symposium Wertz Auditorium, Hudson Weber Building, 4100 John R., Detroit, MI 48201 From Class to World-Class A 30-Year Retrospective of Three WSU-KCI Alumni Discussion with Trainees: 11:00 am Lunch: 11:45 am Introduction: 12:00 pm Lectures: 12:00 ‒ 2:30 pm Novel Approaches in Cell and Gene Therapy Targeting the Immune System Anne Galy, Pharm.D., Ph.D. Director Accelerator of Technological Research in Gene Therapy INSERM, France Assist. and Assoc. Professor, ’95 – ‘01 Biomarkers in Clinical Development of Immunomodulatory Cancer Therapeutics Amy Wesa, Ph.D. Vice President Precision Medicine and Biomarkers IO Biotech Graduate Program of Cancer Biology, Ph.D. '02 Adoptive Cell Therapy with Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Shari Pilon-Thomas, Ph.D. Co-Director Center for Immunization & Infection Research in Cancer Member Moffitt Cancer Center Graduate Program of Immunology and Microbiology, Ph.D. '02 Introduction The speakers, Drs. Galy, Wesa and Pilon-Thomas, are former faculty or trainees at Wayne State University and have since become academic or industrial leaders in the field of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. This mini-symposium gathers them to meet with current trainees to discuss career paths in the academia or industry and introduce the latest advances in cancer immunotherapy.
JUN 3 Lunch: 11:45 am Lecture: 12:00 ‒ 1:00 pm In-person seminar: Wertz Auditorium, Hudson Weber Building, 4100 John R., Detroit, MI 48201 Webinar: webex meeting: 2423 422 2983 Password: qFvdPy2cT36 Epigenetic Reprogramming of the Immune Microenvironment in Gliomas: Impact on Immunotherapies Maria G. Castro, Ph.D. R. C. Schneider Collegiate Professor of Neurosurgery Professor, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center University of Michigan Medical School Host: Qing-Sheng Mi, MD, PhD, Henry Ford Health Profile Dr. Castro's research focuses on epigenetic regulation of cancer progression, the role of oncometabolites in the brain tumor microenvironment, and new therapies for adult and pediatric gliomas. She is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and was awarded the 2016 Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health and named as a 2020 Forbes Scholar by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.
APR 1 Lunch: 11:45 am Lecture: 12:00 ‒ 1:00 pm Wertz Auditorium, Hudson Weber Building, 4100 John R., Detroit, MI 48201 Uncovering Molecular Targets to Overcome Therapy Resistance in Metastatic Melanoma Alan J Tackett, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Deputy Director, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Executive Associate Dean for Basic Research, College of Medicine Scharlau Family Endowed Chair in Cancer Research Director, NIH-IDeA National Resource for Quantitative Proteomics Director, NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Host: Wei-Zen Wei, PhD, Wayne State University Profile Immunotherapy can effectively eliminate cancer in some patients, but show little benefit in many other patients. Dr. Alan Tackett aims to understand why some patients show limited response and leverage this information to design new cancer immunotherapy. He leads a translational team at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and focuses on histone epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene transcription coupled to melanoma progression. He uses a suite of techniques including proteomics, immunohistochemistry, cell culture, tumorigenicity assays, ChIPseq, and cutting-edge mass spectrometry. His team also develops new technologies for epigenetic studies and quantitative assays for histone-modifying proteins.
MAR 4 Lecture: 11:30 am ‒ 12:25 pm Scott Hall 2268, 540 E Canfield, Detroit, MI 48201 Lunch with students: 12:30 ‒ 1:15 pm Non-invasive Histotripsy Cancer Treatment: The Road from Bench to Bedside Zhen Xu, Ph.D. Li Ka Shing Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering Professor of Radiology and Neurosurgery University of Michigan Co-Inventor of Histotripsy Co-Founder, HistoSonics Fellow of NAI, AIMBE, and IEEE Host: Kang Chen, PhD, Wayne State University Profile Dr. Zhen Xu’s research focuses on ultrasound therapy and imaging. She is a pioneer and world leader of histotripsy, a non-invasive, non-thermal, non-ionizing and non-radioactive technology which has been developed for cancer, neurological, and cardiovascular applications. Her work has led to the FDA approval of histotripsy treatment of liver tumors. She has been elected as Fellow of National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Fellow of American Institute of Medicine and Bioengineering (AIMBE), and IEEE. She received the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control (UFFC) Outstanding Paper Award in 2006, Frederic Lizzi Award from The International Society of Therapeutic Ultrasound (ISTU) in 2015, Lockhart Memorial Prize for Cancer Research in 2020, and IEEE Carl Hellmuth Hertz Ultrasonics Award in 2024. She has 36 issued US and international patents, and is a principal investigator of grants funded by the NIH, Office of Navy Research, American Cancer Association, and Focused Ultrasound Foundation. Dr. Xu will talk about the mechanism and instrumentation of histotripsy, the latest pre-clinical and clinical progress, and her journey of bringing this technology from bench to bedside.