Thursday, February 21

5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Keynote Session

RNA biology and basic and translational cancer research
Phillip A. Sharp, David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

Targeting essential growth drivers in human cancers
Hiroyuki Mano, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan

6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Opening Reception

Friday, February 22

7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. Breakfast/Mentoring Roundtables

8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Session 1: Cancer Genomes and Tumor Evolution

Survival of the fittest: Cancer genome evolution towards adaptation
Tatsuhiro Shibata, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan

Interrogating the architecture of cancer genomes
Peter J. Campbell, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Genome-wide analyses of pediatric solid tumors
Junko Takita, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

9:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Break

10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.Session 2: Circulating Tumor Cells and Other New Diagnostic Technologies

Bioengineering and clinical applications of circulating tumor cell chips
Shyamala Maheswaran, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA

PLS3 expression in circulating blood is a good marker for colon cancer recurrence
Masaki Mori, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan

The clinical application of circulating tumor DNA
Luis A. Diaz, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA

11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.Free Time

3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Session 3: Noncoding RNAs

Senescence-associated microRNAs, a novel approach to tumor suppression
Hidetoshi Tahara, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

microRNA reprogramming in cancer: Mechanisms and consequences
Joshua Mendell, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

Linking RNA to human health and disease
John L. Rinn, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Poster Session A

Saturday, February 23

7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. Breakfast/Mentoring Roundtables

8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Session 4: DNA Damage Response

DNA damage response and cellular senescence in cancer
Eiji Hara, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan

Harnessing genetic dependencies in cancer therapy
Alan Ashworth, Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom

Complex regulation of homologous recombination by E3 ligases
Shinichiro Nakada, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan

10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m. Session 5: Epigenetics and Cancer Cell States

Epigenetic plasticity and its clinical implications in human neoplasia
Yutaka Kondo, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan

The regulation of melanoma metastasis
Sean J. Morrison, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

Dysregulation of noncoding RNA genes and its clinical application
Hiromu Suzuki, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan

12:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.Free Time

3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Session 6: Cancer Progression and Metastasis

Molecular characterization of lung cancer progression
Tyler Jacks, David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

Significance of hypoxia-inducible factor in cancer progression and metastasis
Shinae Kondoh, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan

The systemic environment as an important determinant of malignancy
Sandra S. McAllister, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Poster Session B

Sunday, February 24

7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. Breakfast/Mentoring Roundtables

8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Session 7: Tumor Microenvironment

Molecular control of tumor vessel destabilization
Gou Young Koh, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea

Chronic inflammation and cancer: Translating basic science to the clinic
Lisa M. Coussens, Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, OR, USA

Mint3 promotes tumor malignancy in cancer and stromal cells
Takeharu Sakamoto, University of Tokyo, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan

9:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Break

10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Session 8: Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy

Immune checkpoint blockade in cancer therapy: New insights and opportunities
James P. Allison, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

Impact of innate and acquired immune responses in adult T-cell leukemia
Mari Kannagi, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

microRNAs and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in tumor immune escape
Qingqing Wang, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China

11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Free Time

3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Session 9: Preclinical Models

GEM models in translational research
Lynda Chin, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Novel strategies for targeting cancer stem cells
Hideyuki Saya, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan

Contributions of the tumor microenvironment to chemoresistance
Mikala Egeblad, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA

5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Poster Session C

Monday, February 25

7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. Breakfast/Mentoring Roundtables

8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Session 10: Signaling and Systems Biology

Targeted sequencing of Asian cancer phenotypes
Patrick Tan, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, Singapore

A systems approach to understanding and predicting therapeutic response
Joe W. Gray, Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, OR, USA

Statistical gene network analysis for understanding cancer heterogeneity
Seiya Imoto, University of Tokyo, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan

9:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Break

10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Session 11: Cancer Prevention

Energy balance and inflammation in cancer prevention and prognosis
Cornelia M. Ulrich, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany GWAS

revealed the roles of gene-environmental interaction in carcinogenesis
Koichi Matsuda, University of Tokyo, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan

Targeting the DNA repair network as a novel approach for cancer prevention
Guang Peng, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Free Time

3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Session 12: Targeted Therapies and Resistance

Title to be announce
Jeffrey E. Settleman, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA

TTF-1: A double-edged sword in lung adenocarcinoma
Takashi Takahashi, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

Biological mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies
Katerina A. Politi, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, USA

4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Poster Session D

7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Closing Reception and Banquet