(August 2, 2017)

Sponsored by

Cancer is comprised of heterogeneous cell populations, and research is increasingly becoming dependent on the ability to isolate rare cells, both enriched populations as well as individual, single cells. Employing advanced molecular cytogenetic technologies to analyze isolated rare cells, such as circulating tumor cells, provides a unique opportunity to interrogate the cancer transcriptome to identify novel genetic variations. These variations could lead to the development of novel cancer biomarkers.

Learning Objectives:

• Introduction to advanced microfluidic technologies to isolate and characterize rare cells
• Applications of NGS approaches to characterize isolated cells
• Importance of characterization and summary of select results

Speakers:

Yixin Wang, PhD.

CSO

Celsee Diagnostics

Dr. Wang is a veteran in molecular diagnostics, and has extensive and critical expertise on the development of cancer diagnostic technologies, including the first FDA-approved circulating tumor cell (CTC) technology, CellSearch. Prior to joining Celsee Diagnostics, he was Vice President, Molecular Probes, at Ventana Medical Systems/Roche, and Executive Director, R&D at Veridex, an oncology molecular and cellular diagnostic business of J&J. Dr. Wang has broad experience working with pharmaceutical groups, identifying molecular markers, and developing and validating companion molecular assays. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Cornell University and his B.S. in Biochemistry from Beijing University.

Nallasivam Palanisamy, PhD.

Associate Scientist, Department of Urology, Henry Ford Health System; Associate Professor (Adjunct)

University of Michigan

Dr. Palanisamy’s applies molecular biology, molecular cytogenetics and cancer genomics approaches to understand the genetic basis of cancer. His current research centers on the discovery and characterization of gene fusions in solid cancer and understanding their role in cancer development from a translational-research perspective. Genomic technologies, such as aCGH, FISH, SKY, gene expression microarrays, and next-generation sequencing (NGS), are used to interrogate the genomic and transcriptome architecture of cancer genomes. While at the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, Dr. Palanisamy’s group pioneered the application of NGS technology for transcriptome sequencing, and discovered recurrent RAF gene fusions in non-ETS prostate cancer and identified cancer-specific pseudogenes. Emerging evidence show that cancer can be classified based on molecular aberrations rather than morphological and histological classification. He earned his PhD from the University of Madras.

Kalyan Handique, Ph.D.

President & CEO

Celsee Diagnostics

Dr. Handique is an experienced serial entrepreneur with deep domain knowledge in microfluidics and medical devices. Prior to joining Celsee Diagnostics, Dr. Handique was one of the founders of HandyLab; a molecular diagnostic start-up based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that was successfully sold to Becton Dickinson in late 2009. Prior to HandyLab, he completed his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Michigan. In addition to his duties with Celsee Diagnostics, Dr. Handique serves as an advisor and board member to other emerging companies in the Michigan Biotech Region, and actively speaks with the University of Michigan’s Business School entrepreneurs.