Feb. 10-11, 2025 | Tinkham Veale University Center
You're invited to join us for the Third Annual Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Microbiome Workshop!
This two-day event focuses on the latest developments in microbiome cancer research and covers a diverse range of topics, including:
- Microbiome and Immunity
- Community Outreach and Engagement
- Metabolism and the Microbiome
- Translational Approaches in Microbiome Research
The registration deadline is January 17, 2025.
Keynote Speaker
Cynthia Sears, MD
Cynthia Sears, MD, is a Professor of Medicine, Oncology, and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Microbiome Program Leader of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy, the Director of the Germfree Murine Core and Co-Director of the Microbiome Forum at Johns Hopkins. Through translational and bench research stemming from her training as an infectious diseases specialist and physician-scientist, she investigates how enteric bacteria and the microbiome promote colon carcinogenesis and modulate cancer immunotherapy responses. The primary goals of the Sears laboratory are to understand how individual bacteria and communities contribute to oncogenesis, providing opportunities to contribute to colon cancer prevention and immunotherapy therapeutic success. She has long been an active member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), serving as President of IDSA in 2019, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the flagship journal of the IDSA.
How Bacteria May Influence Colon Carcinogenesis
Bacteria are hypothesized to be integral to the development and biology of the tumor microenvironment of colon cancer. Extensive data now support this hypothesis including detection of mucus-invasive biofilms in over 50% of colon cancers and epidemiologic and mechanistic studies on individual bacteria. Key bacteria associated with colon cancer pathogenesis include enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis, polyketide synthase-positive Escherichia coli, Fusobacterium nucleatum subspecies, and toxin B-secreting Clostridioides difficile. Despite these tantalizing data, key gaps in knowledge for each bacterium as well as for the impact of microbial community either alone or in interactions with these bacteria exist, providing a rich opportunity for translational research. This talk will seek to lay out the landscape of bacterial contributions to colon cancer development as well as important research opportunities.
Contact
Please contact james.s.hale@case.edu with questions.