Leadership Committee
Thank you to our Sustaining Partners

TONI CHOUEIRI, M.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology

HANS HAMMERS, M.D., Ph.D
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology

SUMANTA PAL, M.D.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research

BRYAN LEWIS
KidneyCAN
President

SUSAN POTEAT
KidneyCAN
Medical Science Liaison

PEDRO BARATA, M.D., M.Sc
Tulane University
Assistant Professor of Medicine

STEPHANIE BERG, DO
Loyola University
Assistant Professor of Medicine

MEHMET BILEN, M.D.
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Director, Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program

BRAD MCGREGOR, M.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Clinical Director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology

RANA MCKAY, M.D.
University of California, San Diego
Associate Professor of Medicine

SUMANTA PAL, M.D.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research

FABIO A SCHUTZ, M.D.
BP – A Beneficencia, Portuguesa de Sao Paulo
Oncologista Clinico
DoD / KCRP Session Committee

MARIA CARLO, M.D.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Associate Professor of Medicine

ERIC JONASCH, M.D.
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Professor, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology

MEDHI MOLLAPOUR, Ph.D
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Professor of Urology

TIAN ZHANG, M.D.
UT Southwestern
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Communications Committee

NEERAJ AGARWAL, M.D.
Huntsman Cancer Institute
Senior Director of Clinical Research Innovation

DAVID BRAUN, M.D., Ph.D
Yale School of Medicine
Assistant Professor of Medicine

GIL MORGAN, M.D.
Skane University Hospital
Medical Oncologist

PAVLOS MSAOUEL, M.D., Ph.D
MD Anderson Cancer Institute
Assistant Professor, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology

FABIO SCHUTZ, M.D.
BP – A Beneficencia, Portuguesa de Sao Paulo
Oncologista Clinico

QING ZHANG, Ph.D
UT Southwestern
Associate Professor, Department of Pathology

TIAN ZHANG, M.D.
UT Southwestern
Assistant Professor of Medicine

ADRIAN HAYES
KidneyCAN
Communications Consultant
Fireside Chat

TONI CHOUEIRI, M.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology

HANS HAMMERS, M.D., Ph.D
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology

ANDREW SEWELL, PhD
Professor, Division of Infection and Immunity
The research team at Cardiff, led by Professor Sewell, has discovered unconventional T-cells equipped with a new type of T-cell receptor (TCR) which recognizes and kills most human cancer types while ignoring healthy cells. The discovery holds out the tantalizing possibility of a universal approach to killing cancer. The Nature Immunology article on this TCR found it recognized and killed most human cancer types via the monomorphic MHC class I-related protein, MR1.
The hope is this new TCR may provide the scientific community with a different route to target and destroy a wide range of cancers in all patients, opposed to the widely known therapy, CAR-T, which is personalized to each patient and targets only a few types of cancers and has not been successful in solid tumors. Research has shown that TCR kills cancer cells in the lung, skin, blood, colon, breast, bone, prostate, ovarian, kidney, and cervix while ignoring healthy cells. This approach is now in promising early clinical trials with other cancers.
Dr. Sewell will open the Friday morning Immunotherapy session talks and discussions. We’re looking forward to learning more about the progress of this treatment which could someday be available to kidney cancer patients.

DREW PARDOLL, M.D., PhD
Director, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Dr. Pardoll is the inventor of numerous immunotherapy vaccines and has published over 300 articles related to cancer vaccines, gene therapies, and cancer prevention technologies.
His lab focuses on T-cell responses and approaches to modify these responses for targeted immunotherapy. These novel therapies target neoantigens, which could revolutionize the treatment of cancer patients in the decades to come by fulfilling the promise of a personalized, individual treatment.
In this video, “A Future Immune to Cancer,” Dr. Pardoll discusses his work with immunology. He also speaks about the importance of advocating for and donating to research funding.

SUZANNE TOPALIAN, M.D.
Associate Director, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
In the laboratory and in the clinic, Dr. Topalian serves as a physician-scientist whose research interests focus on cancer immunology and immunotherapy. She has published over 100 original research articles and reviews in this field and is internationally recognized for this work. Dr. Topalian’s research continues to focus on immune checkpoints, such as PD-1 alone and in combinations.
Checkpoint research has broadly changed the options for cancer care in many cancers including kidney cancer, and for some patients, it is offering long-term responses.
We’re honored to have Dr Topalian and her husband and collaborator Drew Pardoll discussing new directions in immunotherapy at Thursday’s “Fireside Chat” to open KCRS22.
session 1
Metabolism and Mechanisms with Focus on Health Disparities
MODERATORS

MARIA CARLO, M.D.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Associate Professor of Medicine

MEDHI MOLLAPOUR, Ph.D.
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Professor of Urology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
SPEAKERS

KEN BATAI, Ph.D.
University of Arizona
Research Assistant Professor, Surgery

XIJUAN LIU
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ADAM METWALLI, M.D.
Howard University
Associate Professor in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

FAEZE SAATCHI, Ph.D.
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Postdoctoral Fellow

DEYANG YU, Ph.D.
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Research Associate
session 2
Novel Pathways for Therapeutics Beyond Checkpoint Inhibitors
MODERATORS

ERIC JONASCH, M.D.
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Professor, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology

TIAN ZHANG, M.D.
UT Southwestern
Assistant Professor of Medicine
SPEAKERS

KATHLEEN MAHONEY, M.D., Ph.D.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Attending Physician of Medicine

WAYNE MARASCO, M.D., Ph.D.
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Professor of Medicine

GUANG PENG, M.D., Ph.D.
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Associate Professor

HAIFENG YANG, Ph.D.
Thomas Jefferson University
Assistant Professor
session 3
Rapid Abstract Presentations
MODERATORS

RANA MCKAY, M.D.
University of California, San Diego
Associate Professor of Medicine

SUMANTA PAL, M.D.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research
SPEAKERS
Speakers TBD
session 4
Clinical Trials in Progress
MODERATORS

RANA MCKAY, M.D.
University of California, San Diego
Associate Professor of Medicine

SUMANTA PAL, M.D.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research
SPEAKERS
Speakers TBD
special session 5
Breaking Barriers to Trial Enrollment
MODERATOR

MICHAEL B. ATKINS, M.D.
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
SPEAKERS

CHANA WEINSTOCK, M.D.
FDA Oncology Center of Excellence
Team Lead, GU Cancers Team

JOSE RICARDO PEREZ
Exelixis
Pfizer Representative
session 6
Clinical and Scientific Updates in Kidney Cancer
MODERATOR

TONI CHOUEIRI, M.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology
SPEAKERS

LAURENCE ALBIGES, M.D., Ph.D.
Institute Gustave-Roussy
Urology Committee Chairman

RANA MCKAY, M.D.
University of California, San Diego
Associate Professor of Medicine

SUMANTA PAL, M.D.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research

TOM POWLES, MBBS, MRCP, M.D.
Barts Cancer Centre
Director, Barts Cancer Centre

BRIAN RINI, M.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Chief of Medical Trials

MARTIN VOSS, M.D.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Clinical Director, Genitourinary Medical Oncology Service
session 7
Immunotherapy Advances and Research
MODERATORS

HANS HAMMERS, M.D., Ph.D
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology

DAVID BRAUN, M.D., Ph.D
Yale School of Medicine
Assistant Professor of Medicine
SPEAKERS

ESRA AKBAY, Ph.D
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology

SIDI CHEN, Ph.D
Yale University
Assistant Professor

ANDREW SEWELL, PhD
Cardiff University
Professor, Division of Infection and Immunity

EDUS WARREN, M.D., Ph.D
Fred Hutchinson Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Professor, Program in Immunotherapy
session 8
Oral Abstract Presentations
MODERATORS

RANA MCKAY, M.D.
University of California, San Diego
Associate Professor of Medicine

SUMANTA PAL, M.D.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research
SPEAKERS
Speakers TBD