Anna Blakney

Assistant Professor

Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC

Dr. Anna Blakney is an Assistant Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical & Biological Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Imperial College London on the development of molecular and biomaterial engineering strategies for delivery of self-amplifying RNA. Her lab uses bioengineering, molecular biology and immunology approaches to develop the next generation of RNA vaccines and therapies. Her research has been published in a variety of top tier journals including ACS Nano, Nature Communications, Molecular Therapy, Biomaterials, Journal of Controlled Release, and Advanced Materials. She is also a passionate science communicator and runs a TikTok channel dedicated to educating the public about RNA biotechnology, which now has >250,000 followers and >18M views.

Jeanette Boudreau

Associate Professor at Dalhousie University

Scientific Director of the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute

Dr. Jeanette Boudreau is an associate professor at Dalhousie University in the Departments of Pathology, and Microbiology and Immunology and the Scientific Director of the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, an Atlantic Canada-wide consortium of cancer researchers. Dr. Boudreau obtained her PhD from McMaster University, and conducted post-doctoral research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her training and research programs are interdisciplinary, weaving fundamental cellular and molecular biology and genetics, with model systems and clinical samples analysis. Dr. Boudreau works closely with clinical collaborators to conduct research that reflects the diversity of cancer conditions, including (and especially) the diversity of their immune genes. In particular, the Boudreau laboratory is keen to understand how natural killer (NK) immune cells influence disease processes, response to therapies, and can be leveraged for precise anticancer therapies.

Marcus Butler

Clinician Investigator, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Dr. Marcus Butler is a physician investigator with a strong interest in research and clinical medicine. He is dedicated to successfully translating novel immune-based therapies to patients. He received his MD from Yale University and was trained in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He then completed Hematology/Oncology training at Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, Harvard Medical School. After serving on the Dana-Farber staff, he joined the Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in 2012. He is the Multidisciplinary Disease Site Lead for Melanoma/Skin Oncology at Princess Margaret. He is a member of the Princess Margaret Tumor Immunotherapy Program and Co-chair for the Melanoma Site at the CCTG (Canadian Cancer Trials Group). Dr. Butler has been involved in the early development of several important immune-based therapies for cancer, including adoptive cell therapy and immunomodulators including immune checkpoint blockade. As clinical director of the Princess Margaret Immune Monitoring Laboratory, he is investigating the immunologic impact of immune-based therapies as part of standard of care and in clinical trials.

Conor Douglas

Associate Professor, Department of Science, Technology and Society, Faculty of Science, York University

Dr. Conor Douglas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Science, Technology and Society within the Faculty of Science at York University in Toronto, Canada. His research is located in the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies, and explores the co-production between science/technology and society. In his focus on new genetic medical technologies, and biopharma Dr. Douglas explores the role of patient and public participation in science and technological development (particularly in clinical trials, research studies, and pharmaceutical policy), as well as the governance of biomedical sciences and health technologies. Both of these interests help inform his understanding of how social and cultural factors constrain or enable he translation of science and technologies.

These research interests are currently being deployed in his core work Social Pharmaceutical Innovation (For Unmet Medical Needs), or "SPIN". He is the named Project Leader of this collaborative international consortium, and Canadian national team Principal Investigator.

He is a founding member of the Global Pharmaceutical and Society Studies network, and the lead editing author of the forthcoming (and provisionally titled) Handbook for the Social Studies of Pharmaceuticals and Biotherapies being published by Edward Elgar Publishing. He also sits on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Responsible Innovation.

Laura Evgin

Scientist, Michael Smith Genome Sciences Department, BC Cancer Research Institute

Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia

Dr. Laura Evgin is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia and a Scientist at the BC Cancer Research Institute in Vancouver, Canada. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa under the guidance of Dr. John Bell and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with Dr. Richard Vile. In 2020, Dr. Evgin established her independent research group focusing on enhancing the efficacy and accessibility of T cell therapies for cancer treatment. Her lab leverages diverse tools and model systems to design novel chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), develop CAR T cell engineering strategies both ex vivo and in vivo, and evaluate CAR T cell function in immune-competent models of cancer and autoimmune disease. Dr. Evgin holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Cancer Immunotherapy, and has been recognized with a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar Award and a Gairdner New Investigator Award.

Natasha Kekre

Scientist, Cancer Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Hematologist, Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program, The Ottawa Hospital

Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa

Dr. Natasha Kekre is a Transplant Physician/Hematologist within the Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), a Scientist within the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is also the Acting Associate Program Director of OHRI’s Cancer Research Program and holds the Research Chair in Advanced Stem Cell Therapy at TOH. She completed her Bachelor’s in Science at the University of Windsor then obtained her medical degree from the University of Ottawa. She then trained at the University of Ottawa in Internal Medicine and Hematology. She went on to do a fellowship in stem cell transplantation at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA with a Masters in Public Health from Harvard University.

Dr. Kekre’s research focuses on translating home-grown therapeutic strategies into early phase clinical trials for patients with hematologic malignancies. She collaborated with scientists and physicians across Canada to build the internationally recognized Canadian-Led Immunotherapies in Cancer (CLIC) program and initiate the first clinical trial of a made-in-Canada CAR-T therapy. Building on these transformational achievements, she is now working to expand this platform to other made-in-Canada CAR-T products. Other research interests include clinical research focused on blood and marrow transplant and CAR-T therapy recipients, and projects with an epidemiologic focus.

Kathy McCoy

Professor, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Killam Memorial Chair and Scientific Director, International Microbiome Centre, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary

Dr. Kathy McCoy is a Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, member of the Snyder Institute, Director of the International Microbiome Center, and holds the Killam Memorial Chair at the University of Calgary. Her research group uses germ-free and gnotobiotic models to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the microbiome regulates host immunity and physiology. She is particularly interested in the dynamic interplay between the gut microbiota and the innate and adaptive immune systems. Her research aims to understand how exposure to intestinal microbes, particularly during early life, educates and regulates the mucosal, systemic and neuronal immune systems and how this can affect susceptibility to diseases, such as allergy, autoimmunity, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Her lab also investigates how the microbiome regulates the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy with the aim to identify microbial therapies that can be employed to enhance current therapeutic approaches.

Julian Smazynski

Staff Scientist, BC Cancer, Deeley Research Centre

Dr. Julian Smazynski is an early career researcher in the immunotherapy field, overseeing diverse projects focused on novel cell engineering strategies to enhance adoptive cell therapies for cancer treatment. He began his academic studies with a diploma in Arts and Science from Camosun College in 2013, followed by a BSc (Honours) in Biochemistry/Microbiology from the University of Victoria in 2015. His PhD at the Deeley Research Centre, under Dr. Brad Nelson, concentrated on ovarian cancer immunotherapy, specifically on the TIGIT/CD155 pathway in high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC).

Dr. Smazynski’s current projects are focused on developing novel T cell engineering strategies to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy against solid tumors, particularly ovarian cancer. He is leading the pre-clinical development of a nanobody based Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell product targeting the antigen mesothelin for the treatment of ovarian, pancreatic, and other challenging cancers. Collaborating with researchers in Vancouver, and Ottawa, he aims to translate this research into a phase I clinical trial within the coming years.

For the past several years, Dr. Smazynski has also been developing and leading the BC Cancer R&D program for an innovative immunotherapy that combines CAR-T cells with oncolytic viruses. This work has resulted in multiple patent applications and the co-founding of a BC-based biotech, Overture Therapeutics Inc., which aims to translate this technology into the clinic. Additionally, Julian and his team are developing several other exciting genetic engineering strategies to "supercharge" the efficacy of CAR-T cells by repurposing clinical antibodies and cytokines. These projects are generating new intellectual property and the potential for additional clinical trials and commercialization opportunities in the future. Thus, Dr. Smazynski is committed to conducting research that not only pushes scientific boundaries but also offers significant near-term clinical impact for cancer patients in Canada.

John Stagg

Full Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of University of Montreal

Lab Head at the CHUM Hospital Research Center

Dr. John Stagg is Full Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of University of Montreal and Lab Head at the CHUM Hospital Research Center since 2010. An established cancer immunologist, Dr. Stagg cumulates over 100 research publications. Dr Stagg is known for having identified the adenosine-producing enzyme CD73 as a novel target in immuno-oncology and for contributing to the development of therapeutic agents targeting the extracellular adenosine pathway. Dr. Stagg was co-founder of Surface Oncology and is currently Scientific Advisory Board member of Coherus Biosciences and Domain Therapeutics. Dr. Stagg is a board member of BioCanRx.

Dr. Stagg received several distinctions, including the FRQS young investigator award, the CIHR New Investigator Award, the Terry Fox Research Institute New Investigator Award and the Excellence award for outstanding contribution from a new investigator under 10 years of Faculty appointment by the CHUM hospital. Since 2010, Dr. Stagg is recipient of the Jean-Guy Sabourin Research Chair in Pharmacology from the Université de Montréal Faculty of Pharmacy.