Virginia Tech, Children’s National scientists to discuss cancer research at ‘Hokies for Good’ event
Building
Scientists from Virginia Tech and Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., will talk about leading-edge cancer research projects in a public Zoom discussion “Hokies for Good: Conquering Cancer through Collaboration” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13. Everyone is welcome to watch the event.
The event is an opportunity for people to meet some of the dedicated researchers working together to take on cancer, one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
“Hokies for Good is a series of conversations and events with people who have dedicated their careers to humanity’s most pressing issues,” said Ginny Ritenour, director of chapter programs with Virginia Tech Alumni Relations. “Our panel discussion will highlight the innovative ecosystem where best-in-class research partners are advancing discovery and developing advances into new treatments and technologies to benefit cancer patients and their families.”
Panelists include:
- Catherine Bollard, the director of the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research at the Children’s National Research Institute, director of the Program for Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy and a member of the Division of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation. She leads clinical and research efforts to fight cancer and other inflammatory diseases by strengthening the immune system using adoptive cell therapy.
- Michael Friedlander, Virginia Tech’s vice president for health sciences and technology and executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Friedlander organized the landscape of cancer research faculty members across Virginia Tech colleges, centers, and institutes to create a cancer research alliance to solve the health issues and social problems caused by the disease.
- John Rossmeisl, the Dr. and Mrs. Dorsey Taylor Mahin Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery and associate head of the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. His research has been dedicated to the development of new therapies for malignant brain tumors, which represent some of the most aggressive types of cancers of both dogs and humans. His work is helping both veterinary and human patients.
- Zhi Sheng, assistant professor with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. He has expertise in molecular cancer biology. Sheng focuses his research on taking advantage of two cellular processes — autophagy, the body’s natural mechanism for cleaning up worn out cells; and apoptosis, programmed cell death. These two processes are often misregulated in cancer stem cells and contribute to therapeutic resistance in brain cancer.
