11th Mayo Clinic Symposium on Immuno-Oncology and Tumor Microenvironment Crosstalk 2026:

From origination to translation and current clinical challenges.

Cannaday Building - Kinne Auditorium

Jacksonville, Florida

December 11-13, 2026

All Presentations Eastern Time

Friday, December 11, 2026

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Section I: Mini-Symposium – Nanotechnology and System Biology

Chairs: Priyabrata Mukherjee, Ph.D., Stephenson Cancer Center

Santanu Bhattacharya, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

8:10 a.m.

Harnessing nano properties to improve cancer immunotherapy.

Andrew Wang, M.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center

8:30 a.m.

Discussion

8:35 a.m.

Novel Diagnostic Platform and Imaging

Michael Strano, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

8:55 a.m.

Discussion

9:00 a.m.

High-resolution, noninvasive profiling of the tumor microenvironment with spatial ecotypes                                   

Aadel Chaudhuri, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Rochester

9:20 a.m.

Discussion

9:25 a.m.

Overcoming barriers to drug delivery to tumors for radio sensitization

Sunitl Krishnan MD, Ph.D., UT Health Houston 

9:45 a.m.

Discussion

9:50 a.m.

Exploiting Protein Corona as a New Way to Disease Therapeutics

Priyabrata Mukherjee, Ph.D., Stephenson Cancer Center

10:10 a.m.

Discussion

10:15 a.m.

Coffee Break and Exhibits

10:45 a.m.

MegaMolecules and Applications as Antibody Mimics

Milan Mrksich, Ph.D., Northwestern University

11:05 a.m.

Discussion

11:10 a.m.

Tissue- and Cell-responsive biomaterials for cancer immunotherapy

Natalie Artzi, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

11:30 a.m.

Discussion

11:35 a.m.

4X Short Talk on Nanotechnology abstract (not accredited)

11:55 a.m.

Discussion

12:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 p.m.

Section II: Welcome and Introduction

Chairs: Asher Chanan-Khan, MD. and Hani Babiker M.D., Mayo Clinic Jacksonville

Kent Thielen, MD. CEO, Mayo Clinic Florida

Cheryl Willman, M.D., Executive Director, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center

Roxana Dronca, M.D., Director, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic Florida

Vijay Shah, MD. Executive Dean of Research, Mayo Clinic

Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy M.D., Dean of Research, Mayo Clinic Florida;

1:30 p.m.

Section III: Cell signaling and Vascular-Crosstalk.

Chair: Justilien Verline, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Jacksonville

1:35 p.m.

Title TBA

Ali Shilatifard, Ph.D., Northwestern University

1:55 p.m.

Discussion

2:00 p.m.

NKG7 – A Biomarker of CD8T Cell Effector Activity

Dan D. Billadeau, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Rochester

2:20 p.m.

Discussion

2:25 p.m.

Title TBA

Khashayarsha Khazaie, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Arizona

2:40 p.m.

Discussion

2:45 p.m.

Myosin II and Glioblastoma: How unconventional roles of a conventional motor provide therapeutic opportunities

Steven Rosenfeld, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

3:05 p.m.

Discussion

3:10 p.m.

Coffee Break and Exhibits

3:45 p.m.

Section IV: Novel Cancer Therapeutics and Challenges

Chair: Hugo Guerrero Cazares, M.D., Ph.D. Mayo Clinic Florida

3:50 p.m.

Current Advances in immune-therapy and challenges

Patricia LoRusso, D.O., Yale University

4:10 p.m.

Discussion

4:15 p.m.

Novel Therapeutics and Clinical Trials (*)

Anthony Tolcher, M.D., Ph.D., Next Oncology

4:35p.m.

Discussion

4:40 p.m.

Antibody Drug Conjugates and NK cell targeting

Youngwook Won, Ph.D., University of Northern Texas

5:10 p.m.

Discussion

5:15 p.m.

TTF and Cancer Therapy and Challenges

Michael Story, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

5:35 p.m.

Discussion

5:40 p.m.

Section V: Named-Professor Lecture

Chair: Jennifer J. Westendorf, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Rochester

5:45 p.m.

Martin and Winifred Ehlers Lectureship

Shape-shifting Immune Cells Offer New Insights into Cancer Immunotherapy

Samir Mitragotri, Ph.D., Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University

6:10 p.m.

Discussion

6:15 p.m.

Section VI: Virtual Poster Session and Networking

7:15 p.m.

Dinner (supported by the Martin and Winifred Ehlers fund for Molecular Research)

Round Table for Current Challenges of Immunotherapy and TME

8:30 p.m.

ADJOURN – End of Day 1

Saturday, December 12, 2026

7:00 a.m.

Breakfast and Exhibits

8:00 a.m.

Section VII: Molecular basis of human diseases

Chair: Krishnendu Pal, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

8:10 a.m.

Forkhead (Fox) Transcription Factors in Vascular Formation

Tsutomu Kume, Ph.D., Northwestern University

8:30 a.m.

Discussion

8:35 a.m.

Regulation of the PHD/HIF axis in normoxia

Resham Bhattacharya, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma

8:55 a.m.

Discussion

9:00 a.m.

Endothelial Cilia: Unexpected Roles in Vascular Biology

Ramani Ramchandran, Ph.D., Medical College of Wisconsin

9:20 a.m.

Discussion

9:25 a.m.

Strategies for lipid nanoparticle-based mRNA delivery beyond the liver

Vijay Shah, M.D., Mayo Clinic Rochester

9:45 a.m.

Discussion

9:50 a.m.

Title TBA

Raghu Kalluri, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 

10:10 a.m.

Discussion

10:15 a.m.

Coffee Break and Exhibits

10:40 a.m.

Section VIII: Microenvironment and Cell Signaling

Chair: Vivek Rangnekar, Ph.D., University of Kentucky

10:45 a.m.

Metabolism and Cancer

Edward Chini, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

11:05 a.m.

Discussion

11:10 a.m.

Microenvironment Dynamic role in Cancer

Hellmut Augustin, DVM, Ph.D., Heidelberg University

11:30 a.m.

Discussion

11:35 a.m.

Title TBA

Keping Xie M.D., Ph.D. South China University of Technology, Guangzhou

11:55 a.m.

Discussion

12:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 p.m.

Section IX: Special Keynote Lecture

Chair: Asher Chanan-Khan, MD. Mayo Clinic Jacksonville

1:05 p.m.

The role of the UBA1-STUB1 axis in cancer immune escape and resistance to checkpoint blockade

Speaker TBA

1:30 p.m.

Discussion

1:35 p.m.

Section X: Microenvironment and Cell Therapy

Chair: Hirendra Banerjee, M.D., Ph.D., Elizabeth City State University, NC

1:40 p.m.

Role of stem cells in vascular injury

Sanjay Misra, M.D., Mayo Clinic Rochester

2:00 p.m.

Discussion

2:05 p.m.

Title TBA

Speaker TBA

2:25 p.m.

Discussion

2:30 p.m.

TNBC and immune therapy

Pooja Advani, M.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

2:45 p.m.

Discussion

2:50 p.m.

Coffee Break and Exhibits

3:20 p.m.

Section X: Folkman Lectureships Forum

Chair: Name TBA

3:25 p.m.

Engineering in precision medicine

Chad Mirkin Ph.D., Northwestern University

3:50 p.m.

Discussion

3:55 p.m.

RNA modifications in GBM: Molecular Signaling and Therapeutic Implications

Suyun Huang, M.D., Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University

4:15 p.m.

Discussion

4:20 p.m.

Title TBA

Jeremy Rich, M.D., MBA., University of North Carolina

4:35 p.m.

Discussion

4:40 p.m.

Young Investigator Talks from Abstracts (not accredited)

5:00 p.m.

Section XI: Virtual Poster Session

6:00 p.m.

Dinner

7:30 p.m.

ADJOURN – End of Day 2

Sunday, December 13, 2026

7:00 AM

Registration and Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Section XII: Developing precision therapy targeting microenvironment-immune pathways from preclinical to clinical steps.

Chair: Kenichi Takeshita, M.D.

8:10 a.m.

TTFields and pancreatic cancer

Hani M. Babiker, M.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

8:30 a.m.

Discussion

8:35 a.m.

Preclinical to Clinical trial in renal cancer

Al Copland, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

8:55 a.m.

Discussion

9:00 a.m.

Title TBA

Mitesh J. Borad, M.D., Mayo Clinic Arizona

9:20 a.m.

Discussion

9:25 a.m.

Title TBA

Svetomir N. Markovic, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Rochester

9:45 a.m.

Discussion

9:50 a.m.

Title TBA

Name TBA

10:10 a.m.

Discussion

10:15 a.m.

Coffee Break and Exhibits

10:45 a.m.

Immune therapy and Caner Vaccine

Keith Knutson, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

11:15 a.m.

Discussion

11:20 a.m.

Section XIII: Named Visiting Professorship Lecture

Chair: Cheryl Willman, M.D., Director, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center

11:30 a.m.

Joseph Austin McCartney and Ruth McCartney Hauck Named Visiting Professorship Lecture

Title TBA

Aaron Ciechanover, D.Sc., Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Technion Distinguished Professor at Research Institute at Technion, Isreal

12:00 p.m.

Discussion

12:10 p.m.

Overview of the symposium

Asher Chanan-Khan, M.D. and Dev Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

12:30 p.m.

Vote of Thanks

Hani M. Babiker, M.D., Mayo Clinic Florida

12:40 p.m.

ADJOURN – End of Day 3