2025 Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology

Monday, May 19, 2025, 8:00 AM - Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 6:00 PM, Zuckerman Research Center, 417 East 68th Street, New York, NY

Now in its fourth year, the Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology brings 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 two-day in-person event offers a unique opportunity to discuss genetic and epigenetic regulation of developmental processes, the molecular characterization of childhood cancers, and the identification of novel therapeutic strategies. The program aims to address key unanswered questions, including:

— How do normal developmental and genetic processes prevent cancer in children and young adults?
— 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 Symposium also serves as a forum for established and early-career investigators to engage in discussions about emerging questions and interdisciplinary approaches in the study of young-onset cancer biology.

We invite attendees to a complimentary networking reception on Monday, May 19, Upstairs at The Kimberly Hotel (145 East 50th Street). RSVP is required to attend. Please confirm your attendance during the registration process. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be provided.

The target audience for the Symposium includes scientists, physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and other healthcare professionals interested in the latest advancements in the biology and treatment of childhood cancers. We welcome students and trainees to attend the Symposium free of charge. Additionally, complimentary registration is extended to participants residing and practicing in low- and lower-middle-income countries. View our Policy on Registration Discounts below for more information. 

This Symposium is presented by the 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.

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.

Included in registration, attendees will be offered continental breakfast, lunch, and refreshment breaks. Please contact [email protected] at least one week prior to this event if you have any special dietary requests or require any specific accommodations for joining us onsite.

Discounted registration is available for specific groups. If eligible, you will receive further instructions and a promotion code to use during registration. View our Policy on Registration Discounts for more information.

Registration Rates:

— Physicians (MDs, PhDs, and DOs): $225
— Other Healthcare Providers: $40*
— Industry Professionals**: $350
— Students, Trainees, and Registrants in Low-and Lower-Middle-Income Countries: Complimentary (View our Policy on Registration Discounts)
— MSK Employees: Complimentary

For details on our cancellation terms, please review our Cancellation Policy.

*The registration rate for "Other Healthcare Providers" is non-refundable.
**An “industry professional” is defined as any individual, regardless of their profession type (such as MDs, PhDs, APPs, RNs, etc.) that is employed by an ineligible company. View our Registration Policy for Industry Professionals for more information.

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 11.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABP MOC Recognition Statement

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn up to 11.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

Hotel Accommodations

We look forward to welcoming you to Memorial Sloan Kettering for this program. If you’ll be traveling to New York City from out of town, we recommend that you plan your overnight stays as soon as possible. To make the planning a little easier, Memorial Sloan Kettering has negotiated special rates and amenities at select hotels in Manhattan. To view the list of select hotels and additional details on each, please visit: msk.org/accommodations

Parking Information

Street parking in Manhattan is extremely limited, so you may find it more convenient to park in Memorial Sloan Kettering’s garage or in a commercial garage. For a list of parking resources around MSK, click here. Please note that MSK CME does not offer parking validation for course attendees.

Symposium Organizers

Alex Kentsis, MD, PhD
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

Lisa Roth, MD
Professor of Pediatrics; 
Director, Pediatric Oncology
Weill Cornell

 

Symposium Peer Reviewer 

Makiko Yamada, MD, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

 

Symposium Faculty 

Lauren Baker Banks, MD, PhD
Assistant Attending Physician
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD
Senior Vice President, Chief Research Officer, and Director, 
Center for Cancer and Immunology Research
Children’s National Research Institute;
The George Washington University 

Charlotte Butterworth, MRes
PhD Student, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow
Institut Curie

Adam Durbin, MD, PhD
Assistant Member, Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD
Jan Paradise Chair in Brain Cancer Research; 
Co-Director, Brain Tumor Center; 
Research Director, Pediatric Neuro-Oncology; 
Attending Physician, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Blood Disorders Center;
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

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.