Etiology and Pathogenesis of Oral Cancer ARC Hosts Annual Symposium

On October 24, 2016, the Etiology and Pathology of Oral Cancer (EPOC) Affinity Research Collaborative (ARC) hosted its annual symposium. Six cancer researchers and clinicians presented on their current work and future opportunities to an audience of researchers, clinicians, residents and students.

The Symposium opened with remarks from Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Molecular & Cell Biology at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) and co-Director of the EPOC ARC. Dr. Ravindra Uppaluri, Director of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, presented the keynote talk, Window Trials in Oral Cancer with Small Molecule and Immunotherapeutics. The other faculty presenter was Dr. Jason Kass, Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the BU School of Medicine, who presented A Tale of Two T2N2b’s – A Role for Robotic Surgery in the Oropharynx.

The Symposium was also an opportunity for doctoral candidates and post-doctoral researchers to present on their work. The other presenters were:

• Khalid Alamoud, Ortho 19, DScD 19; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. β-catenin/CBP Axis Drives Cancer Initiating Cells in OSCC.
• Vinay Kartha, PhD candidate; Bioinformatics Program. Targeting β-catenin/CBP Signaling to Treat Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas
• Faranak Mahjour, DMD; PhD Candidate, Oral Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. A Mediator of Tumor to Stromal Cell Communication in Oral Cancer.
• Anna Belkina, MD, PhD; Senior Research Specialist, Flow Cytometry Core Facility, and Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology, BU School of Medicine. Mapping Immune and Epithelial Populations in Oral Cancer Specimens.

“I was very pleased by the high quality of presentations at the symposium,” said Dr. Kukuruzinska. “We were particularly fortunate to have a keynote speaker of the caliber of Dr. Uppaluri. I would like to thank all the presenters and attendees for contributing to such an outstanding event.”

The EPOC ARC is an Affinity Research Collaborative co-funded by GSDM and the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research. ARCs work to enhance their research mission in graduate and post-graduate programs, develop current and new institutional research cores, provide educational opportunities for all Evans Center members, and create collaboration opportunities.