Biographical note

Luni Emdad, PhD, MBBS received her PhD degree in Medical Science from the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine and her Bachelor degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Dhaka Medical college. After completing her Postdoctoral training in the department of Pathology and Urology with Dr. Paul B. Fisher at the Columbia University, she remained as Associate Research Scientist at the Columbia University until Dec 2007. From 2008-2011, she served as Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. In 2011, she joined the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University as an Assistant professor. In 2020, she was promoted to Associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Emdad is a scientist with a clinical background (dual degree of Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery and Ph.D.) and has a longstanding research experience in cancer research with in depth molecular knowledge in targeted experimental therapeutics development for cancer. She has published over 150 in journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, Cancer Research, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Hepatology, Oncogene, Semin Cancer Biol, Neuro-Oncology and so on. She has served as principal investigator in two sponsored research programs and an inventor in two issued US patents. Dr. Azeddine Atfi is the leader of Cancer Biology Program at NCI-designated Massey Cancer Center. He is also the Professor and Chair of the Cellular and Molecular Pathogenesis Division at the Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. Dr. Rajan Gogna is an assistant professor at the School of Medicine Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. Dr. Jose Trevino is an associate professor at the Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. Paul B. Fisher, MPh, PhD, FNAI, Professor and Chairman, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Director, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine Thelma Newmeyer Corman Chair in Cancer Research in the VCU Massey Cancer Center, VCU, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, and Emeritus Professor, Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY. Dr. Fisher is among the top 10% of NIH funded investigators over the past 35-years, published approximately 625 papers and reviews, and has 55 issued patents. He pioneered novel gene/discovery approaches (subtraction hybridization), developed innovative therapeutic approaches (Cancer Terminator Viruses), presented numerous named and distinguished lectures, founded several start-up companies, was Virginia Outstanding Scientist of 2014 and elected to the National Academy of Inventors in 2018. Dr. Fisher is a prominent nationally and internationally recognized cancer research scientist focusing on understanding the molecular and biochemical basis of cancer development and progression to metastasis and using this garnered information to develop innovative approaches for diagnosing and treating cancer. He discovered and patented novel genes and gene promoters relevant to cancer growth control, differentiation and apoptosis. His discoveries include the first cloning of p21 (CDK inhibitor), human polynucleotide phosphorylase, mda-9/syntenin (a pro-metastatic gene), mda-5 and mda-7/IL-24, which has shown promising clinical activity in Phase I/II clinical trials in patients with advanced cancers. Dr. Fisher alsohas a documented track record as a successful seasoned entrepreneur. He was Founder and Director of GenQuest Incorporated, a functional genomics company, which merged with Corixa Corporation in 1998, traded on NASDAQ and was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2006. He discovered the cancer-specific PEG-Prom, which is the core technology of Cancer Targeting Systems (CTS, Inc.), a Virginia/Maryland-based company (at Johns Hopkins Medical Center) focusing on imaging and therapy (“theranostics”) of metastatic cancer (2014) by Drs. Fisher and Martin G. Pomper. He co-founded InVaMet Therapeutics (IVMT) and InterLeukin Combinatorial Therapies (ILCT) with Dr. Webster K. Cavenee (UCSD) (2017/2018).