Canary Center Symposium
The Science of Seeing Disease Earlier
Tuesday, April 28th, 2026
LKSC Berg Hall – 8:00 am – 5:30 pm
Thank you for joining us!
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc
Stanford University
Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc is the RZ Cao Professor of Medicine, Genetics, and Biomedical Data Science, Senior Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Medicine and Director of AI and Cancer Genomics at Stanford School of Medicine. Dr. Curtis’s laboratory leverages computational modeling, high-throughput molecular profiling and experimentation to develop new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent cancer. Her research has redefined the molecular map of breast cancer and led to new paradigms in understanding the origins of human cancers, as well as how they evolve and metastasize.
Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD, heads the Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, the Ovarian Cancer Translational Center at Penn Abramson Cancer Center, and Gynecologic Cancer Research at the Basser Center for BRCA. His research investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of ovarian cancer initiation and progression. His lab helped identify the fallopian tube epithelium as the main origin of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. This discovery led to new experimental platforms maintaining tumor fidelity. His team developed pre-cancer atlases of the fallopian tube to find early molecular changes, aiming to identify vulnerabilities for early detection, prevention, and therapy.
Stephen Quake, PhD
Stanford University
Stephen Quake is the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at Stanford University. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to science and is one of only two dozen scientists elected to all three National Academies. Previously he was the Head of Science at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (2022-2025), founding co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (2016-2022), Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2006-2016), and Professor at the California Institute of Technology (1996-2005).
Join us at the Canary Center Symposium as we convene scientists interested in minimally invasive strategies to detect diseases, including cancer, at earlier, more curable stages.
No Video Where noted, the video for the talk has been redacted due to the unpublished nature of the research.
8:00 am – 8:30 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Session Video
Welcome and Canary Center Introduction
Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD | Stanford University
Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD | Stanford University
Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine
Professor of Radiology and Chemical Engineering
Stanford University
Joseph M. DeSimone is the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine and Chemical Engineering at Stanford University and serves as Co-Director of the Canary Center, Vice Chair for Strategy in the Department of Radiology, and Co-Faculty Director of the Cancer Imaging and Early Detection Program at the Stanford Cancer Institute. His work sits at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and translation, with a unifying focus on creating new dosage and delivery platforms that redefine how therapies are administered and how biology is accessed. Increasingly, this includes building bidirectional systems that both deliver treatment and sample biology—particularly through the skin and lymphatic system. He has led the development of multiple translational technologies, including biodegradable drug-eluting stents, engineered microparticles for inhaled therapeutics (Liquidia), pulsatile-release systems, iontophoretic drug delivery (Focal Medical), and microneedle array platforms for both therapeutic delivery and interstitial fluid–based diagnostics. He is Co-founder and former CEO of Carbon, enabling high-resolution additive manufacturing for next-generation medical and industrial applications. DeSimone has published over 400 papers, holds more than 250 patents, and has trained 84 Ph.D. students. He is a recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and one of the few individuals elected to all three U.S. National Academies.
8:45 am – 9:20 am
Kenote
Session Video
Moderator: Bruce Schaar, PhD | Stanford University
KEYNOTE — The Ovarian Pre-Cancer Atlas: Detecting and Intercepting Ovarian Cancer at Its Origin
Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD | University of Pennsylvania
Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD | University of Pennsylvania
Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD
Franklin Payne Professor of Pathology in Obstetrics & Gynecology
Director of Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD, is the Franklin Payne Professor of Pathology in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, the Gynecologic Cancer Research Program at the Basser Center for BRCA and co-directs the Ovarian Cancer Translational Center of Excellence at the Abramson Cancer Center. His research focuses on the pathogenesis and molecular evolution of women’s cancers, with an emphasis on ovarian and endometrial carcinomas. His laboratory played a pivotal role in the identification of the fallopian tube epithelium as the origin of most high-grade serous ovarian cancers—a discovery that transformed the field and redefined prevention and early detection strategies. His group develops innovative model systems to study disease initiation, progression, and tumor–microenvironment interactions and is leading efforts to build a precancer atlas to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cancer interception. Dr. Drapkin trained at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and previously served on the Harvard faculty before he was recruited to the University of Pennsylvania. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Association of American Physicians (AAP) honor societies and has received numerous awards including the Innovation Award from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Rutgers University, and the Rosalind Franklin Prize for Excellence in Cancer Research from the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, among others.
9:20 am – 10:20 am
Imaging
Session Video
Moderator: Sharon Pitteri, PhD | Stanford University
MRI Screening for Breast Cancer without Intravenous Contrast Agents No Video
Bruce Daniel, MD | Stanford University
Bruce Daniel, MD | Stanford University
Bruce Daniel, MD
Professor of Radiology
Stanford University
Dr. Daniel is Professor of Radiology at Stanford. Dr. Daniel graduated from Harvard Medical School, and did his residency at the University of Michigan. He came to Stanford in 1995 for an NCI cancer imaging fellowship and has worked on imaging breast cancer ever since. He has been PI of multiple NIH grants, and has contributed to the development of modern breast MRI imaging methods as well as MRI-guided interventions. He is a Distinguished Investigator of the Academy for Radiology Research, and a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He is currently co-director of IMMERS, the Incubator for Medical Mixed and Extended Reality at Stanford, which investigates new applications for Augmented Reality that leverage the power of medical imaging.
SkinSentry: The Future of Skin Exams
Roxana Daneshjou, MD, PhD | Stanford University
Roxana Daneshjou, MD, PhD | Stanford University
Roxana Daneshjou, MD, PhD
Professor of Biomedical Data Science and Dermatology
Stanford University
Roxana Daneshjou, MD, PhD, FAAD, is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Data Science and Dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She leads a research program at the intersection of artificial intelligence and clinical care, with a focus on building and evaluating AI systems that are trustworthy, equitable, and useful in real-world medicine. Her work spans medical imaging, large language models, dataset development, and methods to improve transparency and fairness in clinical AI. Dr. Daneshjou earned her BS in Bioengineering from Rice University and her MD and PhD in Genetics from Stanford University. She completed an internal medicine internship, dermatology residency, and postdoctoral research in AI and biomedical data science. Her interdisciplinary training allows her to bridge medicine, machine learning, and translational research. Her research has been published in leading journals, including Nature Medicine, Nature Biomedical Engineering, and Science Advances. She has received funding from the NIH, ARPA-H, and private foundations, and has been recognized for work advancing responsible AI in healthcare. She was the 2024 Young Investigator Award Winner for the American Academy of Dermatology. She serves as an associate editor at top journals, including NEJM AI and the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Screening for Pancreatic Cancer among High Risk Individuals
Walter Park, MD, MS | Stanford University
Walter Park, MD, MS | Stanford University
Walter Park, MD, MS
Professor of Medicine
Stanford University
Dr. Park is a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and Medical Director of the Benign Pancreas Program and the 800P Endoscopy Unit at Stanford Health Care. He completed his medical education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology training at Stanford. His current research focuses on translational biomarker discovery for chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts, and pancreatic cancer through development of bio-repositories with clinical databases. He is a Principal Investigator in the NIDDK Chronic Pancreatitis Clinical Research Consortium and the NIDDK Type 1 Diabetes in Acute Pancreatitis Consortium.
10:20 am – 10:40 am
Break
10:40 am – 11:55 am
Liquid Biopsy/Technology
Session Video
Moderator: James Brooks, MD | Stanford University
KEYNOTE — Liquid Biopsies for Early Disease Detection
Stephen Quake, PhD | Stanford University
Stephen Quake, PhD | Stanford University
Stephen Quake, PhD
Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics
Stanford University
Stephen Quake is the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at Stanford University. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to science and is one of only two dozen scientists elected to all three National Academies. Previously he was the Head of Science at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (2022-2025), founding co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (2016-2022), Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2006-2016), and Professor at the California Institute of Technology (1996-2005).
Exploiting Aberrant Glycosylation in Cancer - New Opportunities for Early Detection No Video
Sharon Pitteri, PhD | Stanford University
Sharon Pitteri, PhD | Stanford University
Sharon Pitteri, PhD
Professor of Radiology
Stanford University
Dr. Sharon Pitteri is a Professor of Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is the Division Chief of Diagnostic Sciences Laboratory and Associate Chair of Research Operations in the Department of Radiology. She is a member of the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford Bio-X Program, and Stanford Cancer Biology Program. Dr. Pitteri received her BA in Chemistry from Carleton College and PhD in Chemistry from Purdue University. She was a postdoctoral scholar in Molecular Diagnostics at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Her research aims to identify proteins and other molecules in blood, tissue, and proximal fluids that indicate early and/or aggressive cancer. Her lab develops and applies mass spectrometry-based methods to study protein glycosylation to advance cancer biology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. She has published >100 scientific papers and received the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Research Award, California Breast Cancer Research Program Innovative Development and Exploratory Award, Stanford McCormick Faculty Award, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award, and The Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research Distinguished Investigator Award. Dr. Pitteri chaired the State of California Breast Cancer Research Program Breast Cancer Council and served as Treasurer of the ASMS Board of Directors. She also served as Co-Chair of the steering committee of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Alliance of Glycobiologists for Cancer Research, Scientific Advisory Board Member for the Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center, and a standing member of the NIH Enabling Bioanalytical and Imaging Technologies Study Section. Dr. Pitteri is passionate about mentoring trainees. She co-leads the NIH-sponsored Canary Center Research Education Summer Training (CREST) Program for undergraduate students and is the Faculty Lead of the Propel Postdoc Scholars Program in the Stanford School of Medicine.
Impacting Medicine with Innovative Technologies: Advancing Medicine & Diagnostics No Video
Utkan Demirci, PhD | Stanford University
Utkan Demirci, PhD | Stanford University
Utkan Demirci, PhD
Professor of Radiology
Stanford University
Dr. Utkan Demirci, MS EE, MS&E, PhD (Stanford ’01,’05,’05; UofM’99, summa cum laude), is a tenured Professor of Radiology and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, where he leads the Bio-Acoustic MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Lab. Before joining Stanford in 2014, he served as an Associate Professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and was affiliated with the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) division. He was also a Visiting Fellow Commoner at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, in 2024–25. Dr. Demirci’s research focuses on developing translational technologies at the intersection of microfluidics, biosensing, photonics, and smart robotics to address critical clinical challenges—from rare cell and extracellular vesicle sorting to point-of-care diagnostics. His inventions include FDA-approved microfluidic sperm sorting devices that have been used in over 500,000 clinical cases across more than 1,600 IVF clinics in 60 countries worldwide. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, 24 book chapters, and holds numerous patents that have led to successfully commercialized biomedical products. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research and currently serves as a board member and Chair of the AIMBE Industry Council. A serial academic entrepreneur, Dr. Demirci is co-founder of multiple companies.
11:55 am – 12:50 pm
Lunch
12:50 pm – 1:45 pm
Neurology
Session Video
Moderator: Eleni Linos, MD, MPH, DrPH | Stanford University
Skin as a Sensor for Neurologic Disease No Video
Kavita Sarin, MD, PhD | Stanford University
Kavita Sarin, MD, PhD | Stanford University
Kavita Sarin, MD, PhD
Professor of Dermatology
Stanford University
Kavita Sarin, MD,PhD, is a Professor of Dermatology and is the Director of the Stanford Skin Cancer Genetics Program at the Stanford Cancer Institute. She has an academic interest in Precision Medicine, focused on the integration of genetic and clinical patient data to inform susceptibility, prognosis, and treatments in skin cancer and other rare dermatologic disorders. Her lab applies cutting-edge sequencing and imaging technologies to better understand skin cancer and rare immunologic skin diseases. She sees patients in medical dermatology at Portola Valley and the Stanford Cancer Institute.
Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease: How and Why
Elizabeth Mormino, PhD | Stanford University
Elizabeth Mormino, PhD | Stanford University
Elizabeth Mormino, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Stanford University
Dr. Beth Mormino is a neuroscientist that applies multimodality imaging and biofluid techniques to understand disease progression and the neural correlates of behavioral and cognitive changes that occur in neurodegenerative disease. Her primary research focus is on the intersection between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and human aging. She completed a PhD in Neuroscience at UC Berkeley and postdoctoral fellowship at MGH. In 2017, Dr. Mormino joined the faculty at Stanford University in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences. She is Associate Director and Imaging Core leader of the Stanford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) and the longitudinal extension of the Stanford Aging and Memory Study (SAMS).
Neurointerventional Frontiers No Video
Jeremy Heit, MD, PhD | Stanford University
Jeremy Heit, MD, PhD | Stanford University
Jeremy Heit, MD, PhD
Professor of Radiology
Stanford University
Dr. Jeremy Heit is a Professor of Radiology and of Neurosurgery and the Chief of Neuroimaging and Neurointervention at Stanford University. He is a practicing diagnostic and interventional neuroradiologist who specializes in the diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Dr. Heit’s research focuses on the imaging evaluation and minimally invasive treatment of patients with stroke. In addition, his group is developing new minimally invasive, image-guided treatments for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. He has authored over 275 publications and is an investigator on multiple grants, including the CRISP 2 and DEFUSE 3 studies. He is the co-PI of the NIH-funded PRECISE basilar thrombectomy study and the OUTER LIMITS large core thrombectomy trial.
1:45 pm – 2:00 pm
Break
2:00 pm – 3:15 pm
Screening/Population/Risk
Session Video
Moderator: Parag Mallick, PhD | Stanford University
Building a Lung Cancer Screening Program
Natalie Lui, MD | Stanford University
Natalie Lui, MD | Stanford University
Natalie Lui, MD
Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Stanford University
Dr. Natalie Lui is a thoracic surgeon who focuses on thoracic oncology and robotic thoracic surgery. She studied physics as an undergraduate at Harvard before attending medical school at Johns Hopkins. She completed a general surgery residency at the University of California San Francisco, then thoracic surgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research interests include intraoperative molecular imaging for lung cancer localization, increasing rates of lung cancer screening, and using robotic surgery education. She is the recipient of the Donald B. Doty Educational Award in 2019 from the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, the Dwight C. McGoon Award for teaching from the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association in 2020, and the Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship from the Thoracic Surgery Foundation and Women in Thoracic Surgery in 2022.
Leveraging Germline Genetics to Inform Risk-Stratified Prostate Cancer Screening and Earlier Detection
Burcu Darst, PhD | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Burcu Darst, PhD | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Burcu Darst, PhD
Assistant Professor
Public Health Sciences Division
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Dr. Burcu Darst is an Assistant Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. She is a genetic epidemiologist with research focused on identifying and understanding genetic and multi-omic risk factors of prostate cancer development and progression, along with other complex traits, across multi-ancestry populations. Her research leverages whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing data, genome-wide association studies, polygenic risk scores, and metabolomics to understand disease etiology and factors contributing to health disparities. She is particularly interested in translating these findings into risk-stratified screening and disease management practices for prostate cancer across patient populations. Dr. Darst has received multiple awards for her work including a Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, an AACR NextGen Star award, and an Early Stage NIH NCI K99/R00.
KEYNOTE — Towards Forecasting and Intercepting Malignancy No Video
Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc| Stanford University
Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc| Stanford University
Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc
RZ Cao Professor of Medicine, Genetics, and Biomedical Data Science
Stanford University
Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc is the RZ Cao Professor of Medicine, Genetics, and Biomedical Data Science, Senior Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Medicine and Director of AI and Cancer Genomics at Stanford School of Medicine. Dr. Curtis’s laboratory leverages computational modeling, high-throughput molecular profiling and experimentation to develop new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent cancer. Her research has redefined the molecular map of breast cancer and led to new paradigms in understanding the origins of human cancers, as well as how they evolve and metastasize. Dr. Curtis’s accomplishments have been recognized by numerous awards, including the 2018 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award, the 2022 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Science, the 2024 Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in breast cancer research and 2024 AACR – Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Breast Cancer Research, as well as the 2025 European Society for Molecular Oncology (ESMO) Translational Award and the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research. She is a Susan G. Komen Scholar, a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator, and a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (FAACR). In addition to her research, Dr. Curtis is an influential voice in the scientific, clinical and biopharma communities. She is an advisor to multiple academic institutes, as well as to biopharma and biotech. She has served on the editorial boards of journals, spanning computational biology to precision oncology, including Science, Cancer Discovery and Molecular Cancer Research. Dr. Curtis was a member of the AACR Board of Directors and is the chair of the AACR Data Science Task Force. She is also active within several clinical trial and cooperative groups, including the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, and American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ECOG/ACRIN), where she leads translational bioinformatics.
3:15 pm – 3:55 pm
Theranostics
Session Video
Moderator: Gunilla Jacobson, PhD | Stanford University
Development and Validation of Novel Radiotheranostics No Video
Corinne Beinat, PhD | Stanford University
Corinne Beinat, PhD | Stanford University
Corinne Beinat, PhD
Assistant Professor of Radiology
Stanford University
Dr. Corinne Beinat is an Assistant Professor in the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford. She obtained her PhD under the mentorship of Professor Michael Kassiou in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Sydney in 2014 and then completed her postdoctoral under the mentorship of Professor Sam Gambhir in radiochemistry and molecular imaging. The focus of her labs research is to development novel imaging and treatment strategies to better detect and manage cancer. This work spans identification and validation of molecular targets, development of small molecule and peptide based radiotracers to monitor fundamental molecular and cellular processes occurring in living subjects using positron emission tomography. Lastly, her lab is active in the development of radiotherapeutics using peptide based ligands and a range of established and exotic radionuclides.
Theranostics in Practice: Delivering on the Promise for Patients
Erin Grady, MD, CCD, FACNM, FSNMMI | Stanford University
Erin Grady, MD, CCD, FACNM, FSNMMI | Stanford University
Erin Grady, MD, CCD, FACNM, FSNMMI
Clinical Professor of Radiology
Stanford University
3:55 pm – 4:10 pm
Session Video
Closing Remarks
Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD | Stanford University
Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD | Stanford University
Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine
Professor of Radiology and Chemical Engineering
Stanford University
Joseph M. DeSimone is the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine and Chemical Engineering at Stanford University and serves as Co-Director of the Canary Center, Vice Chair for Strategy in the Department of Radiology, and Co-Faculty Director of the Cancer Imaging and Early Detection Program at the Stanford Cancer Institute. His work sits at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and translation, with a unifying focus on creating new dosage and delivery platforms that redefine how therapies are administered and how biology is accessed. Increasingly, this includes building bidirectional systems that both deliver treatment and sample biology—particularly through the skin and lymphatic system. He has led the development of multiple translational technologies, including biodegradable drug-eluting stents, engineered microparticles for inhaled therapeutics (Liquidia), pulsatile-release systems, iontophoretic drug delivery (Focal Medical), and microneedle array platforms for both therapeutic delivery and interstitial fluid–based diagnostics. He is Co-founder and former CEO of Carbon, enabling high-resolution additive manufacturing for next-generation medical and industrial applications. DeSimone has published over 400 papers, holds more than 250 patents, and has trained 84 Ph.D. students. He is a recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and one of the few individuals elected to all three U.S. National Academies.
4:15 pm – 5:30 pm