Friday, May 1, 2026
12:30–5:15 p.m.
Luria Auditorium
Koch Institute at MIT
500 Main Street, Building 76-156
Cambridge, MA 02139
No registration required.
Inquiries may be sent to emmawest@mit.edu
The Koch Institute and the MIT Stem Cell Initiative will be hosting the inaugural symposium on stem cell research in cancer. This milestone event brings together leading researchers, clinicians, and trainees to advance the frontiers of stem cell science.
Agenda
12:30pm
Welcome and Introduction
Ömer Yilmaz
Director, MIT Stem Cell Initiative
12:35pm-1:20pm
Keynote Address
Hao Zhu
Director of Tissue Regeneration Program at Children’s Medical Center Research Institute
University of Texas Southwestern
1:20pm-3:15pm
Session 1: Physiologic Regulation of Stem Cells
Introduction: Tess Fallon, MIT Stem Cell Initiative Trainee
1:25-1:55pm
Kara McKinley
Assistant Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Harvard University
1:55-2:15pm
Coffee Break
2:15-pm2:45pm
Tuomas Tammela
Associate Member, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2:45-3:15pm
Ya-Chieh Hsu
Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Harvard University
3:15pm-3:30pm
Coffee Break
1:20pm-3:15pm
Session 2: Stem Cells and Cancer
Introduction: Jingwei Zhang, MIT Stem Cell Initiative Trainee
3:35-4:00pm
Robert Weinberg
Professor of Biology, MIT
Founding member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
4:00-4:25pm
Whitney Henry
Assistant Professor of Biology, MIT
4:25-4:50pm
Judith Agudo
Principal Investigator, Cancer Immunology and Virology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
4:50-5:00pm
Swagata Goswami
MIT Stem Cell Initiative alumna
5:00pm-5:10pm
Closing Remarks
Ömer Yilmaz
Director, MIT Stem Cell Initiative