Microbiome Workshop | Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Feb. 10-11, 2025 | Tinkham Veale University Center

2023 microbiome workshop attendees listening to a presentation in Tinkham Veale

You're invited to join us for the Third Annual Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Microbiome Workshop!

This two-day event focuses on the latest developments in microbiome cancer research and covers a diverse range of topics, including:

Microbiome and Immunity
Community Outreach and Engagement
Metabolism and the Microbiome
Translational Approaches in Microbiome Research

The registration deadline is Jan. 17, 2025.

View Agenda

Keynote Speaker

Cynthia Sears, MD

Cynthia Sears, MD, is a Professor of Medicine, Oncology, and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Microbiome Program Leader of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy, the Director of the Germfree Murine Core and Co-Director of the Microbiome Forum at Johns Hopkins. Through translational and bench research stemming from her training as an infectious diseases specialist and physician-scientist, she investigates how enteric bacteria and the microbiome promote colon carcinogenesis and modulate cancer immunotherapy responses. The primary goals of the Sears laboratory are to understand how individual bacteria and communities contribute to oncogenesis, providing opportunities to contribute to colon cancer prevention and immunotherapy therapeutic success. She has long been an active member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), serving as President of IDSA in 2019, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the flagship journal of the IDSA.

How Bacteria May Influence Colon Carcinogenesis

Bacteria are hypothesized to be integral to the development and biology of the tumor microenvironment of colon cancer. Extensive data now support this hypothesis including detection of mucus-invasive biofilms in over 50% of colon cancers and epidemiologic and mechanistic studies on individual bacteria. Key bacteria associated with colon cancer pathogenesis include enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis, polyketide synthase-positive Escherichia coli, Fusobacterium nucleatum subspecies, and toxin B-secreting Clostridioides difficile. Despite these tantalizing data, key gaps in knowledge for each bacterium as well as for the impact of microbial community either alone or in interactions with these bacteria exist, providing a rich opportunity for translational research. This talk will seek to lay out the landscape of bacterial contributions to colon cancer development as well as important research opportunities.

Agenda

Monday, Feb. 10, 2025

7:30-8 a.m.	Registration and Breakfast
8-8:10 a.m.	Welcome Remarks from Cancer Center Director and Organizing Committee Gary Schwartz, MD – Director, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Stefanie Avril, MD – Associate Professor, Case Western School of Medicine; Physician, Department of Anatomic Pathology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Adam Burgener, PhD – Director, Center for Global Health and Diseases; Professor, Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Ofer Reizes, PhD – Laura J. Fogarty Endowed Chair for Uterine Cancer Research; Staff, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute Natalie Silver, MD – Director, Head and Neck Cancer Research; Staff, Center of Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
8:10-9:10 a.m.	Keynote Cynthia Sears, MD – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine How Bacteria May Influence Colon Carcinogenesis
9:10-9:25 a.m.	Coffee Break and Poster Browsing
9:25-10:45 a.m.	Session: Microbiome and Immunity I Stephanie Langel, PhD – Case Western Reserve University Antibody bound bacteria during HPV Infection and Cervical Dysplasia Aaron Burberry, PhD – Case Western Reserve University Gut Dysbiosis and Neural Inflammation Daniel McGrail, PhD – Cleveland Clinic Foundation Exploring the Role of Bacterial Abundance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Trainee Talk: Dennis Grencewicz – Ohio State University (Spakowicz) Tumor Colonization with Candida Albicans Increases Tumor Growth and Decreases Treatment Response by Influencing Tumor Hypoxia and Immune Activity Trainee Talk: Emily Blaum – Cleveland Clinic Foundation (N. Gupta) The Oral Microbiome is Dynamic During CAR T-Cell Therapy Panel Discussion
10:45-11 a.m.	Coffee Break and Poster Browsing
11 a.m.-12 p.m.	Session: Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Kristina Austin, MSEd, LSW – Case Western Reserve University Why Community Outreach and Engagement Matters Erika Trapl, PhD – Case Western Reserve University Research and Community: What’s the Process Alicia Berard, PhD – University of Manitoba Community Outreach for Female Reproductive Health Studies Frederick Schumacher, PhD – Case Western Reserve University Partnering with a Rural Population Exploring Health Impacts Panel Discussion
12-1 p.m.	Lunch and COE Roundtable Discussions
1-2:50 p.m.	Session: Translational Approaches in Microbiome Research Adeline Hajjar, PhD – Cleveland Clinic Foundation Use of the CCF Gnotobiotics Facility to Differentiate the Role of the Host Versus Microbiota in Gut Disease in Cystic Fibrosis Fabio Cominelli, MD, PhD – University Hospitals A Novel Model of Colitis-Associated Cancer: Role of the Gut Microbiome Melissa Lumish – University Hospitals A Prospective Biospecimen Collection Platform to Dissect Metastasis and Therapy Resistance in Colorectal Cancer Trainee Talk: Nia Layan Hamidi – Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Claesen) Hydrogel Encapsulation of Engineered Microbes for Targeted Molecule Delivery in the Colon Trainee Talk: Katelyn Lemr – Case Western Reserve University (Burberry) Development of Human-Gut-Derived Probiotics to Treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Trainee Talk: Radhika Duggal – Cleveland Clinic Foundation (N. Silver) Characterization of the Intratumoral Microbiome in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients with a History of Oral Lichen Planus Panel Discussion
2:50-4:30 p.m.	Poster Session and Reception

Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025

9-9:50 a.m.	Coffee, Pastries, and Networking
9:50-10 a.m.	Welcome Remarks from Organizing Committee
10-11:50 a.m.	Session: Microbiome and Metabolism Apollo Stacy, PhD – Case Western Reserve University Fusobacterium-Microbiota Interactions in Dysbiotic Disease Jerry Dang, MD, PhD – Cleveland Clinic Foundation Bariatric Surgery, the Gut Microbiome, and Cancer: Unveiling Potential Connections Peder Lund, PhD – Case Western Reserve University Metabolic Interactions Between Colonic Epithelial Cells and the Gut Microbiota Trainee Talk: David Hoying – Cleveland Clinic Foundation (N. Silver) Distinct Bacterial Signatures and Metagenomic Alterations Associated with Lymph Node Metastasis in Laryngeal Cancer Trainee Talk: Nour Mouannes – Cleveland Clinic Foundation (J.M. Brown) The Ability of Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids to Protect Against Liver Inflammation and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) is Dependent on Gut Microbes Trainee Talk: Alyssa Hamm – Case Western Reserve University (Lewin) Transcriptionally-Unique Subpopulations of Cells Mediate Microbe-Microbe Interactions Panel Discussion
11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m.	Lunch and Networking
12:50-2:30 p.m.	Session: Microbiome and Immunity II Pushpa Pandiyan, PhD – Case Western Reserve University Dysbiotic Oral Microbiome in HIV+ Patients Rebecca Obeng, MD – University Hospitals Effector Profiles of Tumor-Associated CD8 T Cells Ofer Reizes, PhD – Cleveland Clinic Foundation Gut Microbiota and Suppression of Therapeutic Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Trainee Talk: Vaani Nanavaty – Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Chakraborty) Potential Role of the Gut Microbiome in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) Progression and Therapeutic Response Trainee Talk: Osama Sweef – MetroHealth Medical Center (Furuta) Evaluating Fungal-Contaminated Air Exposure and Its Impact on Lung Cancer Progression Amidst Global Climate Change Panel Discussion
2:30-2:50 p.m.	Closing Remarks and Trainee Awards (Poster and Trainee Talk)

Contact

Please contact james.s.hale@case.edu with questions.