White lab coat with the University of California logo

UCSF Experts Head to Largest Brain Tumor Meeting of the Year

Graphic for the SNO 2024 conference

 

This week, over 2,600 brain tumor researchers and clinicians are gathering in Houston, Texas, for the 29th annual Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) conference. 

The theme this year is The Hallmarks of Brain Cancer. Presentations from UC San Francisco experts cover the latest research on cancer neuroscience, immunotherapy, and neuroimaging. 

UCSF Brain Tumor Center director Mitchel Berger, MD, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award on Friday, November 22, during the Plenary II session. This award recognizes his many significant contributions to the field of neuro-oncological surgery. 

SNO is also awarding the work of UCSF medical student Mulki Mehari from the Hervey-Jumper lab with the 2024 Health Disparities Abstract Award for her abstract “Supervised Machine Learning Prediction of Therapeutic Clinical Trial Enrollment for Minority Patients and Women in Neuro-oncology.” She will present a talk on Friday morning during the Health Disparities and Quality Improvement abstract session. 

This year's conference includes dozens of posters and talks from UCSF experts. Here are all the presentations by researchers at the UCSF Brain Tumor Center: 

 

Thursday, November 21

Joanna Phillips, MD, PhD
Education Day co-chair
Keynote presenter: “Maximizing Therapeutic Benefit from Improved Diagnostics”
9:10 to 9:45 a.m.

Shawn Hervey-Jumper, MD
“Surgical Management of Diffuse Gliomas and Outcomes” in Education Day: Applied Session III – Precision Medicine Trials and Local Therapies
1:35-1:55pm

Susan Chang, MD
“Understanding neuro oncology journals” In 6th Annual Neuro Oncology Fellow and Early clinicians/investigator Career Retreat
11:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Pavithra Viswanath, PhD 
"Non-Invasive Metabolic Imaging of Biomarkers related to Altered Genomics and Biology in Brain Tumors with Relevant Background" in Education Day: Basic Science Session IV - Technology
3:10 to 3:30 p.m.

 

Friday, November 22

Shawn Hervey-Jumper, MD
“Cancer neuroscience: the role of neurosurgery” in Neuronal regulation of brain tumors: the way to the clinic
7:20 to 7:40 a.m. 

Jacob Young, MD
“Re-resection for Glioblastoma, Con” in Joint Debate on clinical Controversies (SNO/EANO Young Investigators)
7:54 to 8:02 a.m 

Melike Pekmezci, MD
Abstract Session - Molecular Pathology I, Session moderator

Kanish, Mirchia, MD, Vasudevan and Raleigh labs
“DNA mutation sequencing and methylation analysis of somatic NF1 mutant IDH wild type glioblastoma identifies 3 epigenetic groups and CDKN 2 AB loss as a negative prognostic biomarker” in Abstract Session - Molecular Pathology I 7:35 to 7:45 a.m.

Nancy Oberheim Bush, MD, PhD
“Preliminary results of a phase two study of stereotactic radiosurgery in conjunction with the PD1 inhibitor pembrolizumab for the treatment of recurrent high-grade meningioma” in Abstract Session - Clinical trials – Immunotherapy
7:35 to 7:45 a.m.

Steven Francis, PhD
“Elevated serum IgE is linked to improved glioblastoma survival, particularly among” females in Abstract Session - Health disparities and quality improvement
8:25 to 8:30 a.m.

David Solomon, MD, PhD
“Glioblastoma updates on current definition and molecular subtypes” in New and emerging CNS tumor entities
10:50 to 11:05 a.m. Sara Hadad, PhD, Molinaro lab
“Blood-based classification of IDH status of non-enhancing gliomas. A machine learning approach” in Abstract Session - Basic Science I
11:45 to 11:50 a.m.

Marco Gallus, PhD, Okada lab
“Low intensity pulsed ultrasound combined with poly-ICLC and interleukin 2 unlocks the immune privilege of the brain by promoting epitope spreading and activation of CNS specific naive T cells” in Abstract Session - Basic science I
11:55 a.m. to 12 p.m.

David Raleigh, MD, PhD
“Introduction of topic II and case II” in Radiotherapy versus targeted therapy: the great debate (CME)
4:25 to 4:30 p.m.

Javier Villanueva Meyer, MD
“Bringing FET PET into clinical imaging in the US: lessons from a single institution” in EANO-SNO joint session: advanced imaging and theranostics
p.m.

Darwin Kwok, PhD, Costello and Okada labs
“Tumor wide RNA splicing aberrations generate immunogenic public neoantigens and glioblastomas and other cancer types” in Abstract Session – Neurosurgery
4:35 to 4:45 p.m.

Nadeem N. Al-Adli, MD, Young lab
“Maximal safe resection of insular gliomas and evaluation of surgical and prognostic outcomes in 461 cases” in Abstract Session Neurosurgery
4:55 to 5:00 p.m. 

Alexander Haddad, MD, Neurosurgery resident
“Preoperative embolization improves local control and reprograms gene expression in atypical WHO grade 2 meningiomas” in Abstract Session – Neurosurgery
5 to 5:05 p.m.

Naomi Hoffer, MA, MHCES
“From surviving to thriving with a brain tumor: the University of California, San Francisco neuro oncology model for an empowered and engaged peer volunteer support community” in Abstract session – Survivorship
5:00 to 5:00 p.m. 

Jiaying Chen, PhD, Molinaro lab
“Precision medicine clinical trial for adult patients with recurrent glioblastoma” in Rapid Reports Session II
7:50 to 7:54 p.m. 

Poster session (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.) 

Shawn Hervey-Jumper, MD
2024 Judge 

Carlen Yuen 

  • Metastatic glioblastoma to the lung treated with levatinib. A high-grade glioma, not elsewhere, classified in an older adult with discordant genetic and epigenetic analysis.

Manish Aghi, MD, PhD
Targetable gene expression changes mediate extravasation of breast cancer cells from the circulation and local proliferation in the brain
 

Ramin Morshed, MD
Gene expression changes associated with recurrence after gross total resection of newly diagnosed Grade 1 meningioma

Abraham Dada, Hervey-Jumper lab
Socioeconomic factors influence overall survival in chemoradiation treated newly diagnosed WHO grade 4 glioblastoma

Minh Ngyuen, Raleigh lab

  • The Natural History and molecular architecture of incidental meningiomas
  • Targeted gene expression biomarker predicts low grade meningioma recurrence and overall survival Meningioma copy number analysis identifies optimized size thresholds and co-occurrence models for individualized risk stratification 

Ayush Aggarwal, PhD, Raleigh lab
Spatial, single cell and bulk RNA sequencing identify molecular programs underlying meningioma

Georgios Batsios, PhD, Viswanath & Ronen labs
Deuterium metabolic imaging of response to precision therapy in BRAF-V600B mutant gliomas

Mikias Negussie, Hervey-Jumper lab
Zuclopenthixol reduces activity dependent glioblastoma proliferation

Laura Huppert, MD
Molecular analysis of resected breast cancer brain metastases reveals cellular location and triple negative subtype are negative prognostic factors

Jiaying Chen, PhD, Molinaro lab
Precision medicine trial for adult patients with recurrent glioblastoma

Harish Vasudevan, MD, PhD
Immunomodulatory pathways mediate radiotherapy response in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors 

Kanish, Mirchia, MD, Vasudevan and Raleigh labs
High throughput single nuclear DNA sequencing of human sporadic NF1 mutant IDH-wild type glioblastoma reveals patterns of tumor evolution and recurrence

Vardhaan Ambati, Hervey-Jumper lab
Clinical and demographic characteristics predict postoperative behavioral dysfunction following high grade WHO 2-4 glioma resection

Jacob Ellison, Lupo lab
Incorporating imaging features of normal brain to enhance spatially differentiating treatment induced effects from recurrent glioma with AI

Mufang Hu, Aghi lab
Druggable genome CRISPR screen in 3D hydrogel devices reveals targetable kinases and phosphatases implicated in cytoskeletal reorganization in invading GBM cells

Elaheh Hashemi, PhD, Phillips lab
Molecular evolution of the tumor and its microenvironment at recurrence Vardhaan Ambati, Hervey-Jumper lab
Patient barriers and preferences for exercise following a brain tumor diagnosis

Saturday, November 23

Andy Daniel, PhD, Hervey-Jumper lab
“Electrophysiological and spatial transcriptomic profiling of glioma infiltrated cortex reveal layer specific alterations” in Abstract session - Cancer Neuroscience I
7:25 to 7:35 a.m.

Saritha Krishna, PhD, Hervey-Jumper lab
“Glioblastoma network connectivity is regulated through alterations in chloride homeostasis and GABAergic signaling” in Abstract session - Cancer Neuroscience I
7:35- 7:45 a.m. 

Sena Oten
“Modeling microenvironmental dynamics: A 3D glioma and neuron fusion model” in Abstract session - Cancer Neuroscience I
8:15 to 8:20 a.m.

Harish Vasudevan, MD, PhD
“Current screening recommendations for neurogenetic tumor syndromes: NF1 NF2 schwannomatosis” in The current landscape of workup and management of neurogenetic tumor syndromes (CME)
11:22 to 11:35 a.m.

Yan Li, PhD
Abstract Session - Neuroimaging I, Session moderator 

Pavithra Viswanath, PhD
“Developing integrated metabolic therapies and imaging markers for brain tumors” in Targeting Tumor Metabolism session
11:50 to 12:10 p.m.

Georgios Batsios, PhD, Viswanath & Ronen labs 
“Hyperpolarized 13C imaging of D-2 hydroxy glutarate induced downregulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity provides an early readout of response to more acidic in mutant gliomas” in Abstract Session - Neuroimaging I
11:35 to 11:45 a.m. 

Sabine Mueller, MD, PhD
Abstract Session – Pediatrics II, Session moderator 

Georgios Batsios, PhD, Viswanath & Ronen labs 
“GABA production induced by imipridones is a targetable and imageable metabolic alteration in diffuse midline gliomas” in Abstract Session. Pediatrics II 11:05 to 11:15 a.m.

Pavithra Viswanath, PhD
“Deuterium metabolic imaging interrogates the histone H3K27M mutation and provides an early readout of response to therapy in diffuse midline gliomas” in Abstract Session. Pediatrics II 11:15 to 11:25 a.m.

Jean Nakamura, MD
“Genotype and sex impact memory function after brain irradiation” in Abstract session. Neurology of cancer. 5:05 to 5:10 p.m.

Joanna Phillips MD, PhD
Abstract Session – Molecular pathology II, Session moderator

Jacob Young, MD
“Clinical outcomes and predictive biomarkers for IDH wildtype glioblastomas developing hypermutation following temozolomide treatment” in Abstract Session - Molecular Pathology II
4:15 to 4:25 p.m.

Benjamin Lerman, PhD, Costello lab
“Longitudinal tumor wide sampling of glioblastoma reveals early evolutionary divergence of recurrence and clues towards identifying the biological tumor center” in Abstract session- Molecular Pathology II
4:25 to 4:35 p.m. 

Nadeem N. Al-Adli, MD, Young lab
“Longitudinal epigenomic evolution of IDH-wild type glioblastoma” in Abstract Session- Molecular Pathology II
435 to 4:45 p.m.

Calixto-Hope Lucas, MD, former UCSF neuro-pathology fellow (now at Johns Hopkins University)
“Sarcomatous transformation of glioblastoma is associated with a distinct molecular signature” in Abstract Session- Molecular Pathology II
4:50 to 4:55 p.m. 

Kanish Mirchia, MD, Vasudevan and Raleigh labs
“Oligodendroglioma spatial transcriptomic sequencing reveals therapy dependent evolution over time” in Abstract Session- Molecular Pathology II 4:55 to 5 p.m

Brian Na, MD, PhD
Abstract Session - CNS Rare Tumors, Session Moderator

 

Sunday, November 24

Janine Lupo, PhD
“AI based response monitoring and progression prediction” in Incorporating artificial intelligence and neuroimaging in clinical trials (CME)
9:23 to 9:39 a.m.

Thiebaud Picart, MD, PhD, Hervey-Jumper lab
“Structural and electrophysiological connectivity in glioblastoma is mediated by tumor and immune derived cytokines” in Abstract Session -Cancer Neuroscience II
9:20-9:25 a.m.

Jasleen Kaur, Hervey-Jumper Lab 
“Speech-specific errors in lexical retrieval predict glioblastoma features” in Abstract Session - Cancer Neuroscience II 
9:25 to 9:30 a.m.

Katie Lin, Liu lab
Epigenetic editing by mRNA beast. CRISPRoff enables flexible and durable targeting of glioblastoma drivers MGMT and TERT" in Abstract Session - Basic Science III
8:40 to 8:50 a.m.

Jangham Jung, Diaz lab 
“Group 3 medulloblastomas exploit a transient mechanism of telomere repair mediated by ZSCAN. for which is targetable for a therapeutic benefit with brain penetrant drugs” in Abstract Session - Pediatrics III 
8:40 to 8:50 a.m.

Bohyeon Yu, Diaz Lab 
“Multi-omics of human medulloblastomas and genetic lineage tracing in vivo indicate cellular plasticity” in Abstract Session - Pediatrics III 
9 to 9:10 a.m.

David Solomon, MD, PhD 
Liquid biopsy for CNS tumors (CME), Session moderator

Joseph Costello, PhD 
Abstract session - Basic science IV, Session moderator

Suresh Udutha, Viswanath & Ronen labs 
“Enolase 2 is a unique metabolic vulnerability introduced by the 1P19Q code deletion in oligodendrogliomas” in Abstract Session- Basic science IV 10:25 to 10:35 a.m.

John de Groot, MD 
Abstract Session - Clinical trials, Non-immunologic

Nate Tran, Lupo Lab
“A novel approach for personalized radiotherapy target volume definition using metabolic MRI's and deep learning driven predictions of glioblastoma recurrence” in Abstract Session - Neuroimaging II 
11:15 to 11:20 a.m.