This 2nd major conference on Target DNA repair for Cancer Therapy took place in Cancun, Mexico from 27 February to 02 March 2017. The conference attracted many leaders in the field of DNA damage repair. It also drew attendance of scientists working in pharmaceutical and biotech companies that are developing and testing new compounds that target DNA repair and DNA damage checkpoint pathways for cancer treatment. Moreover, this conference was also attended by several physicians who are conducting clinical trials using various DNA repair and checkpoint inhibitors. The convergence of interests from academic, industry, and clinic makes this a unique conference that enjoyed by all the attendees.

The conference was chaired by Dr. Helen Piwnica-Worms (Vice Provost, Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) and Dr. Junjie Chen (Professor and Chain, Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center).

Faculty attended included Dr. Karlene Cimprich (Stanford University), Dr. Jean Gautier (Columbia University), Dr. Dipanjan Chowdhury (Dana Farber Cancer Institute), Dr. Jingsong Yuan (Columbia University), Dr. Lorraine Symington (Columbia University), Dr. Zhenkun Lou (Mayo Clinic), Dr. Nima Mosammaparast (Washington University at St. Louis), Dr. Robert A. Hromas (University of Florida), Dr. Eli Rothenberg (New York University), Dr. Yinsheng Wang (University of California Riverside), Dr. Mark J. O’Connor (AstraZeneca), Dr. Akihiro Ohashi (Takeda), Dr. Giulio Draetta (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dr. Lauren Byers (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dr. Laura Butler (Atrin Pharmaceuticals), Dr. Philip Hinds (Tufts University), Dr. Elizabeth Swisher (University of Washington), Dr. Yi Fan (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Shridar Ganesan (Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey), Dr. Guang Peng (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dr. Mien-Chie Hung (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dr. Michelle Barton (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Sudhakar Jha (Cancer Science Institute of Singapore), Dr. Brendan Price (Dana Farber Cancer Institute), Dr. David Yu (Emory University), Dr. Jac A. Nickoloff (Colorado State University), Dr. Jos Jonkers (Netherlands Cancer Institute), Dr. Kyungjae Myung (Institute of Basic Sciences, Korea), Dr. Richard Pomerantz (Temple University), Dr. Chuan-Yuan Li (Duke University), Dr. Reuben Harris (University of Minnesota), Dr. Matthew Weitzman (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), Dr. Katharina Schlacher (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dr. Ranjit Bindra (Yale School of Medicine), Dr. Daniel Durocher (Lunenfeld-Tanenbarum Research Institute), Dr. Chris Bakkenist (University of Pittsburgh), Dr. Yves Pommier (NIH/NCI), Dr. Fen Xia (University of Arkansas for Medical Science), and Dr. Eric Hendrickson (University of Minnesota).     

The conference emphasized on several ongoing and new areas in the field of DNA damage response, which include: 1) mechanisms underlying DNA repair choice, 2) new signaling molecules and pathways involved in DNA damage response, 3) novel technologies and approaches for studying DNA repair processes, 4) translesion DNA synthesis, 5) APOBEC family proteins in mutagenesis and cancer evolution, 5) conflict of transcription and DNA replication, 6) synthetic lethality approaches for the identification of new agents that target DNA repair defects and pathways. Several additional areas covered by this conference are: a) stem cell biology, b) epigenetic and chromatin regulations, c) oncogenic signaling pathways, d) oncometabolites, e) immune checkpoints. These new topics reflect the expansion of the field, which goes way beyond DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint control. The industry presentations focused on the newly developed ATR, WEE1, and CDC7 inhibitors in clinical trials and the potential combinatory therapies using these checkpoint and cell cycle inhibitors. Several physician scientists discussed the results, promises, and challenges of using these checkpoint and other DNA repair inhibitors for the clinical management of cancer patients.

The conference was highly interactive, with extensive discussions at the Q&A and poster sessions.  New ideas and collaborations were established. More importantly, besides large pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca and Takeda, small companies like Atrin were also present at the meeting. In addition, there were discussions about new companies formed that focus on developing checkpoint and DNA repair inhibitors. Thus, with the expansion of the field and novel compounds that target various DNA repair and other pathways that may come on board in the near future, we anticipate that the next conference will bring together leaders from several disciplines and accelerate the development of new agents for cancer treatment.  _____________________________________

The meeting was expertly organized and supported by Fusion Conferences, Ltd.  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center generously and enthusiastically supported the meeting in many ways and the generous support of Pfizer and Genomic Vision is also gratefully appreciated.

Defect in DNA damage repair and checkpoint control is the underlying mechanism for tumorigenesis, since it allows theaccumulation of multiple genetic alternations, which are essential for the initiation of tumorigenesis. This has been clearly illustrated to be the cause of several human cancer-prone syndromes and also revealed by recent human genome studies. On the other hand, defective DNA repair and checkpoint activation also make cancer cells more vulnerable for particular DNA damaging agents or inhibitors that specifically disrupt some of these checkpoint pathways. With the increasing understanding of defects in DNA repair and checkpoint control in tumorigenesis, there are extensive interests in exploring these deficiencies, especially taking advantage of the synthetic lethality concept and targeting particular DNA repair and checkpoint pathways for cancer therapy. The purpose of this conference is to bring together basic, translational and clinical investigators and discuss the current and future directions, opportunities and obstacles in the development of these anti-cancer modalities and how to best apply these concepts in clinical practice.

Key Sessions

1. Highlight recent advances in the field of DNA damage repair
2. Identify novel targets in DNA repair and checkpoint pathways
3. Explore the concept of synthetic lethality for cancer treatment
4. Assess the therapeutic potential of new anti-cancer modalities
5. Learn mechanisms of therapeutic resistance and ways to improve cancer therapy

Target Audience

This conference explores topics that should appeal to basic, translational and clinical investigators as well as clinicians ranging from academics to industry. The audience will benefit greatly from the interactions with experts in the fields of DNA damage response, drug development and clinical trials.

2017 DNA Poster Prize

The conference chairs will be awarding 3 poster prizes for the best poster display and presentation. To be in with a chance of winning, submit your poster by 08 December 2016. The winners will be selected shortly after the Poster Session and each winner will receive $250! 

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Christopher Bakkenist (University of Pittsburgh)
Michelle Barton (MD Anderson Cancer Center)
Lauren Averett Byers (MD Anderson Cancer Center)
Dipanjan Chowdhury (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Karlene Cimprich (Stanford University) 
Giulio Draetta (MD Anderson Cancer Center)
Daniel Durocher (The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute)
Yi Fan (University of Pennsylvania)
Shridar Ganesan (Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey)
Jean Gautier (Columbia University)
Reuben Harris (University of Minnesota)
Robert Hromas (University Of Florida)
Jos Jonkers (Netherlands Cancer Institute)
Chuan-Yuan Li (Duke University Medical Center)
Zhenkun Lou (Mayo Clinic)
KyungJae Myung (Institute for Basic Science)
Jac A. Nickoloff (Colorado State University)
Mark J O'Connor (AstraZeneca)
Akihiro Ohashi (Takeda)
Yves Pommier (NCI)
Brendan Price (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Elizabeth Swisher (University of Washington)
Lorraine Symington (Columbia University)
Yinsheng Wang (UC Riverside) 
Matthew Weitzman (The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
Richard Wood (MD Anderson Cancer Center)
Fen Xia (UAMS)