Speakers

Reorganize by Taipei & Tainan session/

Speaker & Moderator (Taipei)

Huey-Kang Sytwu, M.D., Ph.D.

National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan

Huey-Kang Sytwu, M.D., Ph.D.

National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan

Dr. Huey-Kang Sytwu received his MD degree from National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan in 1987 and PhD degree from Stanford University, USA in 1997. He is currently a distinguished investigator and president of National Health Research Institutes. His laboratory focuses on the molecular dissection of autoimmune mechanisms of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and the genetic manipulation in preventing the pathogenic process in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. IDDM is caused by a progressive autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing β cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. Both genetic predisposition and environmental factors contribute to its pathogenesis. A widely used animal model for dissecting immunopathological mechanisms in IDDM and for developing preventive and/or therapeutic strategies is the NOD mouse, an inbred strain that spontaneously develops autoimmune diabetes resembling human IDDM. To dissect the immunopathogenic mechanisms of type I diabetes and to develop potential therapeutic strategy for this autoimmune disease, Dr. Sytwu and his labmates have already established more than 30 novel transgenic, knockout and knockdown NOD mice in the Sytwu laboratory. Making full use of these unique mouse strains, Dr. Sytwu and his colleagues are quantitatively and qualitatively investigating the immunopathogenic mechanisms of autoimmune diabetes and provide valuable information for the development of novel genetically modified islets-based immunotherapies.

Lillian L. Siu, M.D., FAACR

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Lillian L. Siu, M.D., FAACR

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Dr. Siu is a senior medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is the Director of the Phase I Trials Program, co-leads the Tumor Immunotherapy Program and holds the BMO Chair in Precision Genomics. Dr. Siu had served on the Board of Directors of both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). She is a fellow of ASCO, AACR and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). Dr. Siu is the 2025-2026 President of the AACR. Dr. Siu’s major research focus is in the area of new anticancer drug development, with respect to phase I trials and head and neck malignancies. Her translational research focus is in the area of liquid biopsies, predictive biomarkers and precision medicine. Internationally, Dr. Siu was the recipient of the US National Cancer Institute’s Michaele C. Christian Award in 2010, European Society of Medical Oncology’s Targeted Anticancer Therapies (TAT) Honorary Award in 2020, Canadian Cancer Trials Group’s Maria Ricci Memorial Lectureship in 2023, and ASCO’s highest honor - David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award in 2024. Dr. Siu received the 2024 Life Time Achievement Award from the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON). For her mentorship of early career investigators, Dr. Siu received the International Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award from ASCO in 2020. Dr. Siu has published nearly 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and she is the co-Editor-in-Chief for AACR’s Cancer Research Communications, and is on the editorial board for Cell and Cancer Cell.

Yun Yen, M.D., Ph.D.

Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

Yung-Chang Lin., Ph.D.

Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan

Muh-Hwa Yang M.D., Ph.D.

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan

James Chih-Hsin Yang, M.D., Ph.D.

National Taiwan University, Cancer Center, Taiwan

Tai-Lung Cha, M.D., Ph.D.

National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan

Tai-Lung Cha, M.D., Ph.D.

National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan

Dr. Cha is the Distinguished Investigator and Director of the National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institute, Professor of the Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, TSGH, NDMC, as well as Jointly Appointed Professor of Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica. Dr. Cha received his MD degree from the School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center in 1990. He got his PhD degree from GSBS, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2005. Upon his return to Taiwan, he served as a surgeon-scientist dedicated to cancer diagnosis and treatment, along with his active participation in international anti-cancer drug development clinical trials worldwide, which has afforded him a profound understanding of the entire spectrum of cancer research. During his tenure as the full professor of the National Defense Medical Center, he was invited to be the convener of the Department of Nephrology, Urology, and Metabolism at the National Science Council, he possesses a comprehensive understanding of the nation's scientific research direction and key points that would contribute to the advancement and connection of the basic and clinical research. Dr. Cha has played numerous leadership roles in medicine and research. He served the Presidentship in NDMC and is a member of the Taiwan Medical Education Evaluation Committee, he strives to align Taiwan's medical education with international standards collaboratively. Additionally, his involvement in the Medical Policy Council, directorship and supervision of the Health Policy Council, and roles in the National Innovation Award's academic research and corporate innovation committees. He has served as the director of the Acer Foundation and the Revitalization Hospitals. He received the 2021 National Excellent Teacher Award from the Ministry of Education and was listed in the World’s Top 2% Scientists 2021. Dr. Cha’s research interests concentrated on unraveling the mechanisms of cancer metastasis and progression and discovering innovative cancer treatments. His lab uncovered a novel cancer mitochondrial regulatory mechanism and identified a drug combination targeting this mechanism. This study was transferred to a biotechnology company. After completing pre-clinical animal toxicity testing, this new drug combination obtained IND approval in Taiwan and the United States. Dr. Cha initiated and completed a Phase I clinical trial to assess the drug's safety and preliminary efficacy for patients with advanced kidney cancer and other cancers resistant to multiple drug treatments. The biotechnology company collaborated with six medical centers in Australia for Phase I and Phase IIa clinical trials, leading to the prestigious 13th National Innovation Award. Over the past decade, Dr. Cha’s Lab identified a novel G protein-coupled receptor, mediating the evolution of cancer metastasis in various cancer types. Dr. Cha elucidated the fundamental molecular mechanisms governing the transition of cancer cells from paracrine to autocrine signaling regulation through the novel GPCR pathway.

Marlowe Tessmer., Ph.D.

American Association for Cancer Research

Marlowe Tessmer., Ph.D.

American Association for Cancer Research

Executive Editor, Clinical Cancer Research American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Dr. Marlowe Tessmer is the Executive Editor of Clinical Cancer Research, a leading peer-reviewed journal published by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). In this role, she leads the journal’s editorial direction and operations, overseeing the assessment and selection of high-impact oncology research, guiding journal policy, and ensuring timely publication. Dr. Tessmer also serves as a key liaison to the scientific community, representing the journal’s mission to advance translational cancer research. Dr. Tessmer brings to AACR extensive experience in scientific publishing and editorial leadership. Prior to joining Clinical Cancer Research, she served as Executive Editor at The Journal of Experimental Medicine, published by Rockefeller University Press. There, she was a trusted leader, managing both internal and external editorial teams and helping to shape the journal’s strategic vision. Trained as a biomedical scientist, Dr. Tessmer earned her PhD in Biomedical Science from Brown University. Her scientific background is rooted in immunology and cancer biology, with research contributions that deepened understanding of immune signaling pathways and cytokine function in disease. As both a scientist and publishing professional, Dr. Tessmer brings a rigorous, thoughtful approach to scientific communication and continues to play a vital role in advancing cancer research through scholarly publishing.

Judy Quong., Ph.D.

American Association for Cancer Research

Judy Quong., Ph.D.

American Association for Cancer Research

Judy Quong is the Senior Director of Research and Grants Administration at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Since joining the AACR in 2008 as a Senior Associate Editor for Cancer Research, she has served as a founding Executive Editor for Cancer Discovery and the first Executive Editor for Cancer Research. Prior to the AACR, she was a faculty member at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University. Judy earned her PhD in biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at UCSF, NIH, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Linda M. Liau, M.D., Ph.D.

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Linda M. Liau, M.D., Ph.D.

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Professor and W. Eugene Stern Chair Chair & Executive Medical Director, Department of Neurosurgery David Geffen School of Medicine & UCLA Health Director, UCLA Brain Tumor SPORE UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Dr. Linda M. Liau is the W. Eugene Stern Professor & Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is the Co-Director of the UCLA Brain Tumor Center, and Principal Investigator and Director of the NCI-designated UCLA Brain Tumor SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence). She served as a Board Director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) from 2014 to 2020, and was the first woman Chair of the ABNS (2019-2020). She was also the first woman President of the Western Neurosurgical Society (WNS). She received her B.S. degree in Biochemistry and B.A. degree in Political Science, both with honors, from Brown University. She received her M.D. degree from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience from UCLA. After completing her residency and fellowship training in neurosurgery at UCLA, she joined the faculty at the UCLA School of Medicine in 1998. In 2016, she earned an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Dr. Liau is a tenured Professor of Neurosurgery and was appointed Chair of the Neurosurgery Department at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2017. She is a board-certified neurosurgeon with an active translational research laboratory in brain tumor immunology and immunotherapy, as well as a busy clinical practice in the field of brain tumors and neurosurgical oncology. Dr. Liau has been the Principal Investigator on several research grants and clinical trials, and her work has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the past 25 years. She has been the mentor of NIH training grants for residents, fellows, and postdoctoral researchers in her laboratory. Her research interests include translational experimental therapeutics of cell-based immunotherapy for brain tumors and the characterization of biomarkers of response to immune-based therapies. She is internationally recognized for her achievements in understanding the immunobiology of malignant brain tumors and pioneering the use of dendritic cell-based vaccines for glioblastoma. Clinically, she has developed novel ways to map brain function during awake brain tumor surgeries using functional MRI (fMRI) correlates, and specializes in surgery for brain tumors in eloquent areas. Dr. Liau has authored over 255 peer-reviewed research articles, along with several book chapters, and a textbook entitled Brain Tumor Immunotherapy. She is on the editorial boards of several scientific/medical journals and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuro-Oncology for over a decade (2007–2018). She is an elected member of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery (2013), the National Academy of Medicine (2018), and the Academia Sinica (2024).

Rodney Cheng-En Hsieh, M.D., Ph.D.

Chang Gung University, Taiwan

Rodney Cheng-En Hsieh, M.D., Ph.D.

Chang Gung University, Taiwan

Dr. Hsieh is a board-certified radiation oncologist in Taiwan and currently serves as Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou and Chang Gung University. His clinical and research expertise focuses on gastrointestinal and head and neck cancers. He earned his M.D. from Chang Gung University in 2010 and completed his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology and Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2022. Dr. Hsieh’s research centers on enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy by modulating phagocytosis-related immune checkpoint pathways to stimulate systemic antitumor immune responses. He also leads studies aimed at reducing radiation-induced toxicity and identifying clinical and imaging biomarkers to predict prognosis and treatment response. At Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, he has conducted seven prospective clinical trials involving patients with gastrointestinal and head and neck malignancies, reflecting his dedication to translating laboratory discoveries into clinical applications. In recognition of his early contributions to cancer research, Dr. Hsieh was honored with the Ta-You Wu Memorial Award from Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council in 2023.

E.G. Elisabeth de Vries, M.D., Ph.D.

University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

E.G. Elisabeth de Vries, M.D., Ph.D.

University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

E.G. Elisabeth de Vries, MD, PhD is Professor of Medical Oncology at the University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands. Her research is aimed at improving cancer care by increasing the sensitivity of tumours to anticancer drugs and promoting personalized medicine. Apart from laboratory studies, she performs and coordinates clinical trials and translational studies focused on early drug development, in which molecular imaging is used to visualize tumour-specific targets and the role of immunotherapy. She has supervised several PhD students, published numerous PubMed-listed papers, and has received various grants, including grants from the Dutch Cancer Society, ZonMw, EU, and an ERC Advanced grant. She is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), and received the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) award in 2009. She is a Fellow of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences. She is currently member of the ESMO-MCBS working party (Chair from 2013-2021), member of the ESMO Cancer Medicines Working Group (Chair from 2017-2022), and member of the expert panel for selection of Essential Medicine List WHO (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025).

Yu-Chan Chang, Ph.D.

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan

Yu-Chan Chang, Ph.D.

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan

Dr. Chang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Imaging and Radiological Sciences at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), and also holds a joint appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Institute of Pathology and Parasitology at the National Defense Medical Center (NDMC). Dr. Chang served on the Board of Directors of the Taiwan Society of Molecular Imaging (TSMI). He is also a full member of several prestigious international organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), and Sigma Xi. Dr. Chang’s research centers on cancer metabolism and the intricate reprogramming of metabolic pathways that drive tumor progression. His lab integrates multi-omics platforms with in vitro and in vivo models to uncover key molecular mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic targets. Leveraging cutting-edge cell and molecular imaging technologies, Dr. Chang also delineates signaling pathways and evaluates drug efficacy with a translational focus. Internationally recognized for his contributions, Dr. Chang was honored with the Young Investigator Award by the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2024. He has authored nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications and currently serves as an Associate Editor for several respected journals, including Heliyon (Cell Press), Journal of Translational Medicine, BMC Cancer, and Frontiers in Immunology/Frontiers in Oncology.

Michael Angelo, M.D., Ph.D.

Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

Michael Angelo, M.D., Ph.D.

Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

Michael Angelo trained in clinical pathology at UCSF and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the lab of Garry Nolan prior to starting his own lab at Stanford in 2014. He is board certified in clinical pathology and a recipient of the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award. Mike’s main research focus is creating and applying next generation instrumentation and methods for nanometer scale, multiplexed, quantitative imaging of of genes and proteins in clinical tissue biopsies. To this end, his lab has recently developed new instrumentation for multiplexed ion beam imaging (MIBI), which uses secondary ion mass spectrometry to measure antibodies tagged with mass reporters. Highly multiplexed IHC panels for assessing immune cell populations in solid tissue are currently being used in the Angelo lab to study tumor-immune interactions in multiple malignancies.

Ruby Yun-Ju Huang, M.D., Ph.D.

National Taiwan University, Taiwan

Ruby Yun-Ju Huang, M.D., Ph.D.

National Taiwan University, Taiwan

Prof. Ruby Yun-Ju Huang is a Obs & Gyn specialist at National Taiwan University Cancer Center (NTUCC), and is a Professor in College of Medicine, College of Engineering, International College, and D-School at the National Taiwan University. Prof. Huang is also Visiting Professor in University of Tokyo, National University of Singpoare, and Kumamoto University. She is currently a Yushan Young Fellow supported by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan leading the EMPreSS (Epithelial Mesenchyaml Precision Scoring Scheme) Lab. Prof. Huang is the 2025-2026 Vice President of TEMTIA, The EMT International Association. Professor Ruby Huang is a renowned physician scientist in the international ovarian cancer (OC) research and EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) fields with a research interest in cellular plasticity. In the field of EMT, she is best known to define the early events of EMT and to propose the paradigm shift of the EMT concept from binary to a continuous spectrum. Her group establishes the pan-cancer EMT signatures and defines EMT scoring. She utilizes OC as the working model to decipher the role of EMT spectrum in tumoral heterogeneity focusing on the transcription function of pioneer factors and the regulation at the 3D genome level. She is also the main contributor of the two seminal Cell review articles in EMT, which has accumulated citations up to 16,000+ times. In OC, she co-discovers the presence of five gene expression molecular subtypes (GEMS) that exhibit different epithelial/mesenchymal characteristics, therapuetic sensitivity, and identifies the dominant signaling pathways in each OC subtype. Her group further deciphers the intra-tumoral heterogeneity in OC by using deconvolution methods such as the Molecular Assessment of Subtype Heterogeneity (MASH) scheme and spatial omics profiling. Her recent work focuses on ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), an OC subtype with Asian significance, leading to the identification of epithelial/mesenchymal GEMS, the immune-related gene expression, and distinct spatial profiles in OCCC. As a pioneer of spatial omics research in the Asia Pacific region, Prof. Huang serves as the founding faculty of the Center of Excellence for Singel cell and Spatial Genomics in NTUCC in collaboration with with 10x Genomics and YongLin Foundation.

Josh Chia-Chi Lin, M.D., Ph.D.

Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

Josh Chia-Chi Lin, M.D., Ph.D.

Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

Chia-Chi (Josh) Lin is Attending Physician, Department of Medical Oncology, National Taiwan University Cancer Center and Professor, Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine. He received his MD degree, PhD degree, and his specialty training in Medical Oncology at the National Taiwan University College of Medicine. He was a clinical research fellow at the Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, San Antonio, TX in 2006 and at the Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Scottsdale, AZ in 2007. He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts. His main research interests include early phase drug development as well as novel therapies for lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and thyroid cancer.

Reorganize by Taipei & Tainan session

Speaker & Moderator (Tainan)

Huey-Kang Sytwu, M.D., Ph.D.

National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan

Huey-Kang Sytwu, M.D., Ph.D.

National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan

Lillian L. Siu, M.D., FAACR

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Lillian L. Siu, M.D., FAACR

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Yi-Ching Wang, Ph.D.

National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

Yi-Ching Wang, Ph.D.

National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

Dr. Wang received her PhD in Genetics from Michigan State University, USA. She returned to Taiwan to join the Department of Pharmacology at the College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, where she served as Professor until 2015, when she assumed her current position as Chair Professor at the same university. Dr. Wang has a long-standing research interest in the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, with a primary focus on lung cancer, which has since expanded to include esophageal, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers. Her group is currently investigating post-translational modifications of immune inhibitory receptors on T cells, as well as the functional role of Rab37, a small GTPase, in regulating exocytosis and its dysregulation in tumorigenesis and the tumor microenvironment. Her team is also actively engaged in the development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics and immunomodulatory antibodies. Dr. Wang has published 145 SCI-indexed papers (i10-index: 127) in high-impact journals, including Cancer Research, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Cell Death & Differentiation, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Nucleic Acids Research. She holds an H-index of 51. Her group has presented over 400 conference papers, authored four book chapters, and secured five Taiwan patents, three U.S. patents, and one PCT patent, with one technology successfully transferred. Notably, Dr. Wang has received numerous honors, including the Outstanding Research Award from the National Science and Technology Council in 2004, 2010, and 2014; the Excellent Basic Medical Research Award from the Dr. Wang Min-Ning Memorial Foundation in 2017; the Foundation for the Advancement of Outstanding Scholarship Award in 2021; the Ministry of Education’s 66th Annual Academic A

E.G. Elisabeth de Vries, M.D., Ph.D.

University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

E.G. Elisabeth de Vries, M.D., Ph.D.

University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

Ya-Yao Huang, Ph.D.

Primo Biotechnology

Michael Angelo, M.D., Ph.D.

Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

Michael Angelo, M.D., Ph.D.

Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

Chien-Feng Li, M.D., Ph.D.

Chi Mei Medical Center; National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan

Chien-Feng Li, M.D., Ph.D.

Chi Mei Medical Center; National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan

As a pathologist, Dr. Li is devoted to molecular diagnostics of cancer, seeking the utilities of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in profiling cancer genomics. Acting in his capacity as director of pathology and laboratory medicine at Chi Mei Healthcare system, his top priorities are to ensure laboratory quality, integrate cutting-edge science, and introduce innovative technologies. He is also affiliated with Department of Medical Research, serving as an investigator and the principal investigator of the “Translational Research Laboratory of Human Cancers” for years. Dr. Li’s research focuses on investigating the effect of genetic, epigenetic, expression, and metabolic alternations on cancer progression and metastasis. With the access to the large-scale clinical samples and advanced molecular, metabolic and functional evaluation, he has been working on the oncogenic properties of metabolic transformations and experimental therapeutics with special attention to sarcomas, for which he had eight articles published in Clin Cancer Res. and one in Oncogene (all as major authors). Furthermore, he has been dedicated to studying the pathogenesis and therapy resistance in urothelial cancer, for which he had five articles published in Clin Cancer Res., Cancer Res., and Theranotics (all as major authors). Besides, involved in several international collaborations, he has been committed to researching genome and/or epigenetic regulation and the oncogenic roles of critical E3 ligases - Skp2, RNF8, HectH9, etc. From that 12 articles were published (as 2nd or 3rd author), two of which were published in Cell, two in Nat Cell Biol., four in Mol Cell., and three in Nat Comm. Currently, he is concentrating on finding out how the metabolic characters of cancer implicate tumor progression and how metabolic aberrations induce/enhance mutagenesis. The latter is featured by a large-scale academic-industrial collaboration for trans-omuc studies and further extensive functional and animal validations.

Chia-Jui Yen, M.D., Ph.2D.

Department of Oncology, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

Speakers

Reorganize by Taipei & Tainan session/

Speaker & Moderator (Taipei)

Yun Yen, M.D., Ph.D.

Yung-Chang Lin., Ph.D.

Muh-Hwa Yang M.D., Ph.D.

James Chih-Hsin Yang, M.D., Ph.D.

Reorganize by Taipei & Tainan session

Speaker & Moderator (Tainan)​

Ya-Yao Huang, Ph.D.

Chia-Jui Yen, M.D., Ph.2D.

Speaker & Moderator (Tainan)