Connect with peers from across the biotech ecosystem for a forward-looking discussion about the intratumoral therapy landscape in the neoadjuvant setting.
With a focus on intratumoral therapy and its expanding role earlier in the treatment paradigm, the discussion will explore how local delivery approaches can complement surgery, immuno-oncology, and radiotherapy. We will also consider what a shift toward neoadjuvant application could mean for clinical development, partnership models, and future deal-making.
The evening will open with remarks from leaders in Johnson & Johnson’s Interventional Oncology and Oncology groups, followed by a panel discussion featuring leading clinicians and industry voices focusing on emerging data, development challenges, and the future direction of the field. The program will conclude with an extended networking reception to continue the conversation, build connections and help shape what is next for intratumoral therapies.
Register now to reserve your place at this focused, high-impact program during ASCO. Attendance is limited, and early registration is encouraged.
By registering and by your presence at this event, you consent to be photographed, filmed and/or otherwise recorded. Your entry constitutes your consent to such photography, filming and/or recording and to any use, in all media throughout the universe in perpetuity, of your appearance, voice and name for the purposes of marketing this event. You understand that all photography, filming and/or recording will be done in reliance on this consent given by you by entering the area.
Jared Weiss, MD, Section Chief of Thoracic and Head/Neck Oncology, Professor of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
José P. Zevallos, MD, MPH, FACS, The Eugene N. Myers, MD Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Deputy Director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Øystein Rekdal, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Lytix Biopharma
[Moderator] Michael Schroeder, Senior Director, Global Commercial Lead, Interventional Oncology, Johnson & Johnson
Sonal Patel joined Johnson & Johnson in 2016 and is VP of Oncology Scientific Innovation, EMEA. She identifies and champions transformative scientific opportunities for J&J Oncology and has built external partnerships to advance a portfolio of preclinical assets across haematological and solid tumours. Previously, she was Senior Director of External Innovation at Roche in Basel, where she led scientific diligence on new opportunities across therapy areas and modalities. Before Roche, she headed Disease Biology in GlaxoSmithKline’s Bioelectronic Medicines R&D unit in Stevenage, UK, including diligence of device opportunities and partnership development. Earlier in her career, she worked extensively in UK biotech: as Head of Molecular Pharmacology at Prosidion-OSI; at start-up Piramed, focused on small-molecule discovery targeting the PI3K family; and at Oxford Glycosciences, a proteomics platform company, leading target identification and validation for oncology discovery projects. She completed postdoctoral training at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Center (Radiation Medicine).
Jose P. Zevallos, MD, MPH is a nationally recognized head and neck surgical oncologist, translational scientist, and academic leader. He serves as the Eugene N. Myers, M.D. Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, and as Deputy Director of the NCI-designated UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, where he is also co-principal investigator of the Head and Neck SPORE. In these roles, Dr. Zevallos oversees one of the nation’s premier clinical, research, and training enterprises in head and neck cancer, integrating multidisciplinary care, translational science, and innovation. Previously, he was Division Chief of Head and Neck Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center. Dr. Zevallos specializes in head and neck surgical oncology, including transoral robotic surgery for HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer and complex thyroid surgery. His NIH/NCI-funded laboratory has pioneered novel liquid biopsy approaches for detecting minimal residual disease in the postoperative period. Importantly, this work has moved beyond proof-of-concept: technologies developed in his laboratory have been commercialized and are now available to physicians and patients, representing true bench-to-bedside innovation.
Avrum “Avi” Spira, M.D., M.S.C. is the Global Head of Interventional Oncology at Johnson & Johnson. Practicing medicine for more than 20 years, Dr. Spira leads a team of dedicated scientists and medical professionals integrating J&J’s Medtech and Innovative Medicine expertise to develop novel intratumoral drug and energy therapies delivered directly to tumors via minimally invasive procedures. Their primary focus is on lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths globally. This cross-sector R+D unit is built upon the foundation established by the Lung Cancer Initiative spearheaded by Dr. Spira since he joined J&J in 2018.
In addition to leading J&J’s Interventional Oncology team, Dr. Spira is an attending physician in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Boston University (BU) – Boston Medical Center (BMC) and is a Professor of Medicine, Bioinformatics and Pathology at Boston University.
Dr. Spira obtained his M.D. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Toronto and fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at BMC. During his fellowship, he earned a Master’s Degree in Bioinformatics from Boston University.
Dr. Weiss received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and medical degree from Yale University. He completed residency at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center then fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently employed as a tenured professor of medicine at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center where he also serves as section chief of thoracic oncology. Dr. Weiss is proud to volunteer for and serve on the executive board of cancergrace.org and to advocate with the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina. Dr. Weiss has published extensively, including in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Lancet Oncology. He played a role in the development of numerous approved agents, most recently including pembrolizumab, durvalumab, selpercatinib, trilaciclib and adagrasib. He has frequently presented at international conferences, including the Presidential Session of the European Society of Medical Oncology and Plenary Session of the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium. Dr. Weiss’s clinical practice is focused on lung cancer and head/neck cancer. Dr. Weiss’s research is focused on personalized and adaptive immunotherapy to treat cancer (neo-antigen cancer vaccines and cellular therapeutics). He has particular interest in small-cell lung cancer and in NUT carcinoma.
Dr. Øystein Rekdal, PhD, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lytix Biopharma and has more than 25 years of experience within the field of immuno-oncology. He has led the discovery and development of a novel class of peptide-based cancer immunotherapies, referred to as oncolytic molecules, from early research at the University of Tromsø, through international clinical development.
Dr. Rekdal has extensive scientific and clinical experience with neoadjuvant immunotherapy approaches through clinical studies in melanoma as well as through licensing partnerships in non-melanoma skin cancers. Under his leadership, Lytix’s lead candidate ruxotemitide (LTX-315) has demonstrated promising Phase 2 results both as monotherapy and in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, including in patients with checkpoint inhibitor–refractory disease.
Throughout his career, Dr. Rekdal has served in multiple executive and scientific leadership roles at Lytix, including CEO, CSO, and Head of R&D. He is author and co-author of numerous scientific publications and patents within cancer immunotherapy and intratumoral oncology.
This program is from Johnson & Johnson and represents a selection of activities from across our Innovation Centers, JLABS and JJDC. The information in this program is for informational purposes only. The information is either proprietary or licensed to Johnson & Johnson and its affiliates or is provided by or proprietary to third parties. In case of third-party information, please note that only those third parties that provided or own this information are responsible for it. By providing this information, Johnson & Johnson do not endorse these third parties or any of the information provided in this program. This content is not intended to influence the use, sale, recommendation, or promotion of any products or services of Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson is not responsible or liable for any actions you do or do not take in relation to this information and are not responsible for any use of this information by you. By providing the information in this program, Johnson & Johnson does not make any representations, warranties, or assurances, express or implied, as to the content or the information presented in this program and is not responsible for any use by or alterations of this information by you. Johnson & Johnson hereby expressly disclaims any and all guarantees, representations, warranties, or assurances and assumes no responsibility or liability, direct or indirect in relation to the information in this program.
