2023 Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology

Dr. Alex Kentsis welcomes you to the 2023 Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology.

The Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology will bring together outstanding scientists from across the country to discuss the latest discoveries into the molecular mechanisms of cancers in children and young adults and the development of new approaches for their definitive therapy and control. This program will feature interactive discussions of fundamental and translational research to address unanswered questions in the field of developmental oncology.

There are many unanswered questions that need to be addressed for childhood and young adult cancers:

• What causes cancer in children and young adults without inheritance of cancer-predisposing mutations or exposure to environmental mutagens? How do predisposing alleles and exposures contribute to cancer development?
• What developmental processes are dysregulated to cause mutations and cell transformation in otherwise healthy tissues?
• How do mutations in developmental pathways involving transcription factors and epigenetic signaling cause cancer?
• How do we design effective therapeutics to block, activate, and modulate protein interactions that control transcription factors and other developmental regulators?
• How do we identify targets for immune therapy in developmental tumors that have relatively few mutations?

This two-day live, in-person Symposium will provide an intimate and exciting setting to share new advances for these questions. It will also allow an opportunity for established and young investigators to discuss new questions and interdisciplinary approaches of relevance to young-onset cancer biology.

This Symposium is presented by the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Tow Center for Developmental Oncology, which unites scientists across MSK to develop fundamental insights into the molecular mechanisms of cancers in children and young adults, and to devise new approaches for definitive therapy and control.

Networking Reception & Dinner (RSVP Required)

We invite attendees to join us for a networking reception and dinner after the Symposium on Monday, May 1. If you are interested in attending this reception, you must RSVP during registration in order to attend.

Upstairs at The Kimberly
Monday, May 1, 2023 · 6:00-9:00 pm
145 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022

Who Should Attend

The target audience for this Symposium includes scientists, physicians, APPs, nurses, and other healthcare providers interested in learning the latest advances in our understanding of the biology and therapy of childhood cancers. We are pleased to invite students and trainees to attend on a complimentary basis (please see details below).

1. Explain biologic and developmental causes of childhood cancers.
2. Review recently developed therapies for patients with childhood and young-onset cancers.
3. Discuss new biologic questions in order to accelerate the development of definitive therapies for patients.

Course registration includes continental breakfast, lunch, refreshment breaks, and an invitation to the networking reception on Monday evening. Please contact [email protected] at least one week prior to the course if you have any special dietary requests or require any specific accommodations.

While MSK requests that institutional guests are vaccinated against COVID-19, we are no longer requiring proof of vaccination. Additional details, including our current Health and Safety Protocols, can be accessed on our Visiting Us page. If you are not feeling well or exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19, please refrain from attending an in-person event at MSK and contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Registration Fees

• All Healthcare Providers: $25
• Industry Professionals*: $45
• Students and Trainees: Complimentary
• MSK Employees: Complimentary

Registration Discounts/Promotions

• If you are a student or trainee interested in attending this Symposium on a complimentary basis, please email [email protected] for a promotional code (registration is required in order to attend).
• Additionally, students, residents, fellows, and postdocs in need of financial support for travel and hotel, please email [email protected] with a request explaining your needs in 250 words or less.
• A registration discount is available for MSK Alumni and MSK Cancer Alliance to attend. If you are a member of one of these groups, contact [email protected] for details.

Please note that after your payment has been processed, no further promotional discounts or adjustments will be made to your registration. 

*Industry professionals may attend MSK CME activities for their own education. Marketing, sales, and promotion of products and services is strictly prohibited at MSK CME activities. For more information, please visit our Help page.

Cancellation Policy

Registration for this Symposium is non-refundable. MSK CME reserves the right to cancel or postpone any course due to unforeseen circumstances. In the unlikely event, we must cancel or postpone this course, you will be notified via email from MSK CME ([email protected]). We will refund the registration fee in full but are not responsible for any related costs, charges, or expenses to participants, including fees incurred by airline/travel/lodging agencies. At any time, you may substitute another registrant in your place after contacting MSK CME with the relevant information. Please note that if it has been more than 120 days since payment was processed, a W9 form must be submitted in order to process your refund and your refund will be issued in the form of check payment. Refunds are not subject to tax.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 10.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Symposium Organizers

Alex Kentsis, MD, PhD
Associate Member
Molecular Pharmacology Program
Director, Tow Center for Developmental Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Andrew Kung, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Agata Smogorzewska, MD, PhD
Associate Professor 
The Rockefeller University

Symposium Faculty

Sheila Alcantara, MD, PhD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Henry De Traux, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Olivier Delattre, MD, PhD
Institut Curie

Madelyn Espinosa Cotton, PhD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Sai Gourisankar, BS
Stanford University

Jolanta Grembecka, PhD
University of Michigan

Katherine Hill, BA
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Nada Jabado, MD, PhD
Montreal Children’s Hospital
McGill University Health Center

Cigall Kadoch, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School

Yaniv Kazansky
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Dani Keahi, BA
The Rockefeller University

Marc Ladanyi, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Katrina Paras, BS
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Vijay Sankaran, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School

Jay Sarthy, MD, PHD
Seattle Children’s Hospital

Satyaki Sengupta, MSc, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Akiko Shimamura, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School

Asmin Tulpule, MD, PHD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Hiroyuki Yoda, PhD
University of California San Francisco

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies (commercial interests). All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.