Track 3 - January 23 2.00 P.M.-3.00 P.M.
Advances in molecular pathology and hereditary cancer assays have led to a new understanding of breast cancer classification systems, allowing for precision thera-py using molecular tumor signatures that guide both systemic treatments and per-sonalized radiotherapy. The goal is to minimize overtreatment and treatment-associated morbidity for patients while preventing progression and recurrence. This session will focus on the current state of progress in these pursuits and discuss the challenges including prior authorization issues and the growing size of assay pan-els.
Session Chair Profile
Ph.D., General Manager, Reproductive Health, Natera
Biography
Dr. Ramesh Hariharan’s career of 18 years spans a range of subspecialties, including basic research, strategic management consulting, and marketing. At GE’s Basic Research Center, he was nominated as the Best Young Scientist for his innovations, which included the discovery of a new molecule that was commercialized to enable higher data densities in rewritable DVDs, and a novel process for agglomerating nanoparticles. At McKinsey, he served biotech, pharma, medical device, diagnostics, and private equity leaders in the U.S., Germany, and the U.K., tackling a wide range of business issues such as product launches, market expansion, life cycle strategies, and business turnarounds. Dr. Hariharan then held marketing leadership positions in Oncology, Women’s Health, and Vaccines at Novartis, Abbott/AbbVie and Biotheranostics. Most recently at Biotheranostics, he drove the successful commercial turnaround and relaunch of Breast Cancer Index and CancerTYPE ID including repositioning, branding, messaging, and targeted promotions to medical oncologists and patients. He received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from IIT Bombay, a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University, and an M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management.
Speaker Profile
JR., M.D., Professor, Division Chief, Stanford University Medical Center
Biography
Dr. George W. Sledge, Jr., M.D. is Professor and Chief of Medical Oncology at Stanford University Medical Center. Dr. Sledge served as a Ballve-Lantero Professor of Oncology of Medicine and Pathology of Indiana University School of Medicine. He served as Co-Director of the breast cancer program at the Indiana University Cancer Center, where he was a Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center. Dr. Sledge specializes in the study and treatment of breast cancer and directed the first large, nationwide study on the use of paclitaxel to treat advanced breast cancer. His recent research focuses on novel biologic treatments for breast cancer. He served as a Professor of Indiana University Cancer Center Breast Cancer Program. He has also served as the chair of ASCO’s Education Committee, as a member of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program’s Integration Panel, as a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Oncology Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC), and as a member of the External Advisory Committee for The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. Dr. Sledge was awarded the Hope Funds for Cancer Research 2013 Award of ‘Excellence for Medicine’. He holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and an M.D. from Tulane University.
Speaker Profile
Ph.D., Research Director, Child Health and Development Studies, Public Health Institute
Biography
Dr. Cohn’s directs research on breast cancer in the Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS) where she employs a unique biospecimen archive to investigate the role of environmental chemical exposures in pregnancy on the health of the mother, her daughter and granddaughters. She also directs a research program in grandparental effects on the risk of autism and cardiometabolic risk in CHDS granddaughters and grandsons. She collaborates with researchers at other institutions and oversees new CHDS data collections, currently in studies of in utero predictors of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism, psychological symptoms and functioning and young onset colon cancer. She participates in transdisciplinary collaborations notably toxicology, environmental chemistry, metabolomics, health disparities). Dr. Cohn has an undergraduate degree in Zoology, Masters Degrees in City and Regional Planning and Public Health Planning and a PhD in Epidemiology all from UC Berkeley. She is the mother of three and grandmother of two.
Talk
Muti-And Trans-Generational Environmental Transmission Of Breast Cancer
We address multi-generational and trans-generational impact of environmental chemicals on breast cancer, highlighting high-resolution metabolomics in our archived pregnancy bio-specimens and three generation follow-up. We employ novel computational approaches and integrative analysis to reveal prenatal molecular footprints of gene-environment interactions and discuss implications for breast cancer prevention, detection and treatment.
Speaker Profile
M.D., Professor and Vice-chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Biography
Dr. Harris has a long standing research interest in personalizing cancer therapy to improve outcomes and quality of life with fewer side effects from treatment. She is currently collaborating on an innovative, paradigm-changing approach to personalizing radiotherapy dose using a novel gene assay of radiosensitivity in solid tumors called RSI-GARD. Dr. Harris is active in clinical research as a senior member of the Breast and Gynecologic research committees of the NRG cooperative group, and of the scientific program committee for the American Society for Clinical Oncology, and as an independent investigator and mentor for junior faculty and students. She has an interest in promoting quality standards of cancer care, through her work as chair of the Emerging Technology Committee and member of the Guidelines Committee for the American Society for Radiation Oncology, as well as the chair of the American Radium Society Appropriate Use Criteria Panel for breast cancer.
Talk
Precision Medicine for Breast Cancer: Personalizing Radiotherapy
For decades breast radiotherapy dosed “one size fits all” regimens, leading to over and under-treatment. A precision medicine approach assays each woman’s breast cancer to determine its radiosensitivity to apply the precise dose of radiation needed to provide tumor control, and to select those who will not benefit from therapy.
