CCBIO Mini Symposium – Development of novel therapy for acute myeloid leukemia

Welcome to a CCBIO Mini Symposium in acute myeloid leukemia (AML)! AML was the origin of the cancer stem cell concept in cancer for more than 20 year ago. Diagnostics and risk stratification of AML has been dominated by genetics for decades, and the recent five years several new drugs have been introduced. At the same time, we find that AML hard to treat and only incremental increases in survival is experienced. This mini symposium elucidate new aspects of therapy development, optimizing models in therapy development, and strategies to overcome therapy resistance. Finally,  we will have an update on the leukemic stem cell concept and how that may influence future therapy development.

Join us in Auditorium 4, BB building, Wednesday January 18 at 14.15. You can enjoy light refreshments, social interactions and discussions. 
No need for registration. 

Program:

About the speakers
 
Lars Herfindal
Lars Herfindal is professor in Pharmacology at the Centre for Pharmacy, and group leader of the research group for pharmacology and pharmaceutics. He completed his PhD in cell biology in the group of Prof. Døskeland, UiB in 2006. He has since then held post-doc and research positions funded by Helse-Vest, NRC and the Norwegian Cancer Society before starting as a professor in 2015. His research interest is preclinical cancer drug development, with focus on drug discovery from natural sources, drug repurposing and nanoencapsulation of cancer drugs, as well as improved therapy for paediatric cancers. He has established methods for nanoparticle production and drug encapsulation in his laboratory, and recently also zebrafish larvae as a model for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and to study biodistribution of nanoparticles and biopharmaceuticals. He has led the preclinical documentation of novel molecules for AML therapy, in collaboration with School of Pharmacy, UiO. Further, his collaboration with Univ. Paris-Saclay has yielded in several different nano-sized drug delivery systems intended for cancer therapy, with emphasis on AML.  

Emmet McCormack
Emmet McCormack, PhD, is Professor of Pharmaceutics, Department of Clinical Science at the University of Bergen. McCormack leads and co-leads the PreCOS and INOVA research groups whose overall objective is the development and effective translation of novel cell-based immunotherapies and imaging strategies for the treatment of cancer, particularly cancers with limited therapeutic options. McCormack has previously served as council member of the European Society of Molecular Imaging (ESMI), is associated Investigator at Norwegian Centre for Molecular Medicine (NCMM), Principal Investigator and Associated investigator at two Centres of Excellence (CCBIO and CanCell respectively), work package leader at IMMUNO-model COST action CA21135, board member of the Norwegian Oncology Society (Onkologisk Forum) and Chairman of KinN Therapeutics AS. Current research projects focus on development of relevant preclinical modelling systems, including novel immunocompetent patient derived preclinical models and comparative animal models, in addition to CAR-T based immunotherapies.

Kim Theilgaard-Mönch
Kim Theilgaard-Mönch holds a position as a Senior Consultant in Hematology at Rigshospitalet and as a Research Group Leader at Rigshospitalet and the Univ. of Copenhagen (UCPH) in Denmark. KTM studied Medicine at the Univ. of Hannover, Munich, Heidelberg, Copenhagen, and Chicago and graduated from the Univ. of Heidelberg in 1992.  He then embarked on a combined clinical and research career at the Univ. of Heidelberg, Lund, and Copenhagen. KTM obtained his D.M.Sc degree in 2007 at the Lab. of Prof. Niels Borregaard, Righospitalet, became GL at the UCPH in 2013, and board-certified specialist Internal Medicine and Hematology in 2017, at the Univ, of Lund, SE.  
Since 2017, KTM joins the “Acute Leukemia team” at RH to combine both patient care at Rigshospitalet with research through his affiliation as Group Leader with the Finsen Laboratory at Rigshospitalet and the Biotech Research and Innovation Center at the UCPH. 
KTM is focusing on patient-centric Leukemia research exploring novel diagnostic tools and treatment modalities for AML patients in a preclinical and clinical trial setting. He is currently board member of the Nordic AML Group (NAMLG), chair of its trial WG, and sponsor of the pan-nordic LD-VenEx trail for AML patients.

Mhairi Copland
Mhairi Copland is Professor of Translational Haematology and Honorary Consultant in Haematology at the University of Glasgow. She graduated in Medicine from Aberdeen University in 1996 and obtained a PhD in Cancer Sciences from the University of Glasgow in 2007. She currently splits her time between the Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, where she is Director, and the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow. She has clinical and research interests in chronic myeloid leukaemia and acute leukaemias and was chair of the UK NCRI CML Subgroup (2013-2019). She is now the deputy chair for the NCRI Haemato-oncology Clinical Study Group. Specific areas of research interest are leukaemia stem cells, novel, stem-cell directed therapies, treatment resistance and studies of the leukaemic microenvironment. She was Chief Investigator for the Phase 1 MATCHPOINT and Phase 2 TASTER clinical trials; co-chief investigator for LI-1, and local principal investigator for several acute leukaemia and CML trials and leads the Cure Leukaemia Trials Acceleration Programme at the Beatson.

Bjørn Tore Gjertsen, symposium chair
Bjørn Tore Gjertsen, MD, PhD is Professor of Hematology, University of Bergen, and Senior Consultant Hematologist at Haukeland University Hospital. In 2016 he was appointed as co-director for Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO) Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen. From 2010 to 2018, Gjertsen developed a phase I clinical trials unit at Haukeland University Hospital. He has clinical practice in hematology, focused on clinical trials in chronic and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In 2021, he was awarded the King Olav V Cancer Research Prize. His major research interest is the development of targeted therapy and accompanying diagnostics in myeloid leukemia. His laboratory is working on intracellular signal transduction and regulation of the tumor suppressor protein p53. He has a special interest in single cell analysis and detection of circulating tumor cells. His work is supported by the Norwegian Cancer Society, the Helse Vest Health Trust, the Research Council of Norway and EU ERA PerMed. Dr. Gjertsen is founding member and chair of the Norwegian and Nordic AML Groups, and is member of EHA, ASH and ASCO, and he is co-founder of three small biotech companies.  

Other info: Doctoral defense January 19

Mhairi Copland and Kim Theilgard-Mönch will act as opponents in the doctoral defense of Benedicte Tislevoll, January 19 in the Armauer Hansens Hus Auditorium at 10:15 (Trial lecture "Deregulated molecular pathways in AML") and 12:15 (Defense of thesis: «Single-cell protein profiling in early therapy response evaluation of acute myeloid leukemia by mass cytometry»). You are cordially invited to follow the trial lecture and disseration.