Agenda
Hellmut Augustin, PhD is Professor of Vascular Biology at the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University, Head of the Division for Vascular Oncology and Metastasis Research at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), and Founding Director of the European Center for Angioscience at Heidelberg University, Germany. The Augustin lab (www.augusLnlab.de) studies angiocrine signaling mechanisms and organotypic vascular functional differentiation during the life cycle of a vasculature (blood vessel formation, assembly, maturation, quiescence, regression, aging) with a particular focus on tumor-vessel interactions that govern tumor progression and metastasis. Basic discovery research feeds translational research with the goal of identifying and validating novel therapeutic targets as well as laying the preclinical proof-of-concept for novel treatment modalities and therapeutic windows, including neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy.
Valerie LeBleu MBA, MD, PhD, is a resident in the Medical Oncology Fast Track Program of Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX). She is an editorial board member of Cancer Research and Extracellular Vesicle and serves as a consultant for biotech companies in the areas of Lssue repair and fibrosis. Her research focuses on exosome biology and the remodeling of solid tumor stroma, vascular heterogeneity and metastasis.
Raghu Kalluri, MD, PhD, is the Frederick F. Becker Distinguished University Chair of Cancer Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Raghu’s research is focused on the tumor microenvironment, fibroblasts, and extracellular vesicles in cancer progression and metastasis. His pioneering research on exosomes has shown how these vesicles facilitate cancer cell communicaLon, promote metastasis, and serve as potential biomarkers for early cancer detection. He also explores the dual roles of fibroblasts in either promoting or suppressing cancer growth, especially in pancreatic cancer. Raghu’s work further delves into how exosomes and the tumor stroma affect immune responses to cancer.
