Thursday 13 July – Asia + Europe time-zone friendly
UTC+1: 10:10 – 10:50
Understanding the Roles of EVs in multiple myeloma: a multi-omic Approach
Annie Reale, MD, PhD: Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Central Clinical School, Monash University – The Alfred, Melbourne, Australia.
About the speaker:
Dr Antonia Reale completed her Medical Degree in 2010 and training in Medical Oncology with honors in Bari (Italy) in 2016. She has studied and collaborated for several years (since 2008) with the Myeloma Group at Internal Medicine ‘Baccelli’ and ‘Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Biology’, Bari, Italy, under the supervision of Prof. Francesco Dammacco, Prof. Angelo Vacca and Prof. Roberto Ria. She has also worked as Sub Investigator and Study Coordinator for Phase I-III Trials for Multiple Myeloma Patients.
During her training she has also gained basic and translational research experience both at Department of Internal Medicine and human Oncology, Bari, Italy and Myeloma Research Group (Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Central Clinical School, Monash University/The Alfred, Melbourne, Australia).
She then was awarded an RTP (Australian Government Research Training Program) and Monash Departmental Scholarship and started a PhDMed by translational research in 2018 in Melbourne, Australia, under the supervision of Prof. Andrew Spencer. Her project involved the study of extracellular vesicles in Multiple Myeloma as potential drivers of disease progression and liquid biomarkers. She has completed her PhD in October 2022. She is currently validating her PhD findings.
She is now registered as a clinician in Australia and will soon commence practice in medical oncology in Australia.
About the talk:
In my talk, I will share our findings of the effects of small extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from plasma of myeloma (MM) patients (MM-EVs) on the formation of a tumor microenvironment that promotes MM progression; identify the protein content of MM-EVs responsible for these effects; and discover the signaling drivers of EV-mediated remodelling of human stromal cells (HS5) towards a pre-metastatic phenotype.
For that, proteomic profiling of plasma-derived EVs (enriched using a commercial-kit) from MM patients versus healthy donors-HD, asymptomatic MM, and premalignant stage MGUS patients was performed. In addition, phosphoproteomic and genomic analyses were conducted on HS5 cells pre-treated with EVs, as long of In vitro (co-cultures) and in vivo studies (MM-bearing NSG-mice).
Proteomic profiling identified 412 proteins in MM-EVs, including 8/13 universal cancer EV markers. 40 proteins were differentially regulated between HD-EVs and MM-EVs, potentially serving as discriminatory markers for MM. Omic analyses of HS5 cells pre-treated with MM-EVs versus HD/MGUS-EVs showed differential expression of 120 phosphosites (including kinases, phosphatases, translation/transcription regulators), and 624 differentially expressed gene terms (including epidermal growth factor-EGF, tumor necrosis factor alpha-TNFA, epithelial to mesenchymal transition-EMT signaling).
Treatment of HS5 cells with MM-EVs induced proliferation and drug resistance of human MM cell lines (HMCL) compared to untreated HS5 cells. Preconditioning mice with MM-EVs significantly enhanced tumor growth versus control mice. Furthermore, there was an increased presence of HMCL in the liver, kidneys, and heart of EV-preconditioned mice, indicating an augmented extramedullary metastatic potential.
Ongoing investigations will further validate the value of MM-EVs as biomarkers and explore potential therapeutic strategies targeting MM-EVs interactions with the metastatic niche.
Thursday 13 July – Asia + Europe time-zone friendly
UTC+1: 10:50 – 11:30
Water-soluble extracellular vesicle probes based on conjugated oligoelectrolytes
Sarah Cox-Vazquez, PhD: Acoerela Pte. Ltd., Singapore
About the speaker:
Sarah J. Cox-Vazquez, Ph.D., is the CEO and Co-Founder of Acoerela Pte. Ltd., a startup company commercializing novel dyes for life science. In 2020 she completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry Chemical Biology from the University of Michigan with Prof. Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy, where she investigated the biophysical interactions of amyloids with membranes. She joined the National University of Singapore as a Research Fellow under Prof. Gui Bazan, where she began working to develop Acoerela’s technology and its application in extracellular vesicles.
About the talk:
We developed a series of transmembrane conjugated oligoelectrolytes (COEs) with tunable optical emissions from the UV to the near IR to address the false-positive problem when detecting nanometer-sized extracellular vesicles (EVs) by flow cytometry. The amphiphilic molecular framework of COEs is defined by a linear conjugated structure and cationic charged groups at each terminal site. Consequently, COEs have excellent water solubility and the absence of nanoaggregates at concentrations up to 50 μM, and unbound COE dyes can be readily removed through ultrafiltration. These properties enable unambiguous and simple detection of COE-labeled small EVs using flow cytometry with negligible background signals. We also demonstrated the time-lapsed tracking of small EV uptake into mammalian cells and the endogenous small EV labeling using COEs. Briefly, COEs provide a class of membrane-targeting dyes that behave as biomimetics of the lipid bilayer and a general and practical labeling strategy for nanosized EVs.
Thursday 13 July – Asia + Europe time-zone friendly
UTC+1: 11:30 – 12:10
Novel impacts of extracellular vesicles in the pre-pubertal testis
Michael Rimmer, MD, PhD: Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh
About the speaker:
Dr Michael Rimmer is a clinical lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology based at the Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh. He is also practicing clinician working in obstetrics and gynaecology.
His research focuses on the impact of extracellular vesicles in the pre-pubertal testis in response to chemotherapy. The clinical focus of this work is fertility preservation in pre-pubertal males with cancer for whom there are currently no viable options to preserve their fertility. The goal of his research is to understand the fundamental causes of infertility and identify novel treatments for this.
About the talk:
Our understanding of the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the pre-pubertal testis is limited compared to what we know about their function in the adult testis. However, damage to the pre-pubertal testis from gonadotoxic compounds such as chemotherapy can lead to aberrant sperm production and infertility in adulthood. In his talk, Mike will explore the impact of chemotherapy on EV release and their cargo composition in the pre-pubertal testis and discuss his research into EVs released by the somatic cells of the pre-pubertal testis, which exhibit pro-apoptotic properties.
Thursday 13 July – Asia + Europe time-zone friendly
UTC+1: 14:00 – 14:40
Careers in Science – Should they be a linear path?
Catarina Seabra, PhD: Business Developer and Career Advisor at Chaperone & Program Manager at CAJAL Neuroscience Advanced Training Program
About the speaker:
Catarina M. Seabra is a researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology exploring the impact of genetic alterations on brain development and wiring, and also a Career Advisor and Business Developer at Chaperone. She obtained a PhD in 2017 and trained at renowned institutions in the USA, such as the Center for Genomic Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Catarina Seabra’s work has advanced knowledge in the autism research field as she used cutting-edge technology to identify disease-associated pathways which may be suitable targets for treatment. As an educator, she was invited as Assistant Professor at the University of Coimbra in 2020 and has a vast experience in science communication and public engagement. She has organized scientific events and has created opportunities for young students by co-founding projects such as Brain Gain – Discovering Neurosciences, PAPSummer and Maria de Sousa Research Program. In 2018, she obtained a H2020 MSCA Individual Fellowship and was acknowledged for her scientific excellence with two Merit Awards.
About the talk:
In this talk, Catarina Seabra will share insights about her career path which includes experience in academia, entrepreneurship, and science communication and outreach. Learning about and how to build career management skills is important for researchers to be able to navigate their careers effectively. Catarina will share some tips on how and where to get these skills and about the roles of different people that can help inspire you and get the job you like.
Friday 14 July – Europe + Americas time-zone friendly
UTC+1: 15:10 – 15:50
Engineering EVs for drug delivery: brute force or gentle manipulation?
Sander Kooijmans, PhD: CDL Research, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.
About the speaker:
Sander Kooijmans has been active in the EV field for over 10 years, with a clear focus on application of EVs and their components for drug delivery purposes. In 2011 he started his PhD on extracellular vesicle engineering for delivery of RNA at the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. During his PhD, he pioneered several methods to decorate EVs with targeting ligands to improve their cell specificity, enhance EV circulation time and improve RNA loading. After his PhD he moved to Turin, Italy, to investigate the application of stem-cell derived EVs in regenerative therapy. He returned to Utrecht in 2017 and started to study fundamental aspects of EV biology, focusing on RNA delivery mechanisms of EV subpopulations. Simultaneously, he moved beyond the EV field and started working on optimization of mRNA-carrying lipid nanoparticles for anti-cancer immunotherapy. Now, his combined interest in improving state-of-the-art drug delivery systems and exploring the drug delivery capacity of EVs forms the centerpiece of his research.
About the talk:
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are endogenous transport vehicles of cellular cargoes, including various RNA species and proteins. Due to their favorable safety profile and naturally evolved delivery capacity, EVs have been heralded as next-generation delivery vehicles for biotherapeutics such as proteins, RNAs or combinations thereof (e.g. CRISPR/Cas9 components). However, in order to exploit this therapeutic potential, EV engineering is required. Therapeutic cargo of interest should preferably be loaded into the EV lumen where it is protected from degradation, and depending on the application, the EV surface may be engineered as well. EV surface modification could involve the incorporation of targeting moieties to enhance EV interaction with specific cell types, or the inclusion of molecules to evade the immune system and increase circulation time.
In my talk, I will discuss these aspects of EV engineering based on my previous studies and will provide a perspective on the current challenges and future directions in EV engineering.
Friday 14 July – Europe + Americas time-zone friendly
UTC+1: 15:50 – 16:30
Extracellular Vesicle Transcriptional Priming of Immune Cells Following Acute Myocardial Infarction
Naveed Akbar, PhD: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford
About the speaker:
Naveed Akbar obtained his BSc (Hons) in Human Biology before completing an MSc by research in Biomedical Sciences, where he developed an interest in vascular biology and undertook interdisciplinary training to synthesize and fabricate nanoparticles for vascular targeting. Doctor Akbar went on to obtain his PhD in Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Dundee, where he investigated the role of innate immune signalling cascades in vascular inflammation using in vivo imaging.
As a British Heart Foundation Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellow his lab is interested in defining the therapeutic and diagnostic potential of extracellular vesicles for immunomodulation and precision medicine in cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory diseases. His lab has a particular interest in how endothelial cell derived extracellular vesicles mediate long range communication across organs and how it can capitalise on this signalling for targeted therapeutics and diagnosis.
His lab employ state of the art techniques in extracellular vesicle isolation and characterisation, using translational approaches of highly characterised clinical cohorts to derive hypothesis driven in vitro and in vivo studies using model systems. Where the technology doesn’t exist, they engineer tools to enable specific sub-populations of extracellular vesicles to be isolated and generate new approaches to exploit bio-engineered cells as factories for extracellular vesicle generation.
About the talk:
Naveed Akbar’s sheds light on the intricate interplay between EVs, immune cells, and inflammatory responses in the context of acute myocardial infarction. His research opens up new avenues for therapeutic interventions aimed at mitigating the detrimental effects of cardiac tissue damage following a heart attack. These findings have significant implications for understanding the pathophysiology of acute myocardial infarction and could potentially lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies. By targeting the EV-mediated communication between injured cardiac tissue and immune cells, it may be possible to modulate the inflammatory response and minimize tissue damage.
Friday 14 July – Europe + Americas time-zone friendly
UTC+1: 16:30 – 17:10
Prostate cancer-derived smaller extracellular vesicles promote neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment
Hilal Rather, PhD: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
About the speaker:
Doctor Hilal Rather did his PhD at the Central University of Gujarat, where he worked on the development of drug-delivering biomaterial scaffolds for bone regeneration application. During his Postdoc tenure at the Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA., he worked on the role of prostate cancer-secreted extracellular vesicles in cancer-associated cognitive impairment. Presently, Doctor Rather is working on the role of senescence-associated extracellular vesicles in bone fracture and its role in neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
About the talk:
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in men with an estimate of about 12.5% of the men will be diagnosed with PCa in their lifetime. For the year 2023, PCa was estimated as 14.7% of all new cancer cases. Most of the men diagnosed with PCa do not die from it. The 5-year relative survival between 2013 to 2019 was 97.1%. In fact, more than 3.1 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with PCa at some points are still alive today. However, the lifestyle of these patients is affected due to the illness and related treatments. Lately, impaired cognition, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are also linked with PCa. Prostate cancer incidence increases with age, nearly 60% of all PCa cases are diagnosed in men over the age of 65 years. Cognitive impairment is also most likely to occur with advanced age. However, there is no evidence of how the progression in PCa causes cognitive impairment. Therefore, it is required to study the link between PCa and dementia and to establish better management of the disease for improving the quality of PCa patient’s life. My talk will focus on the role of small extracellular vesicles (sEV) secreted by PCa as a mediator of cancer-related cognitive impairment. This study has improved our understanding of how the development of PCa is correlated with cognitive impairment and identifies a unique mechanism for the same.
Friday 14 July – Europe + Americas time-zone friendly
UTC+1: 17:10 – 17:50
When Research, Art and storytelling collide: Science Communication through graphic stories
Daisy Chung: Graphics Journalist at Reuters Graphics
About the speaker:
Daisy Chung is an award-winning science visual communicator and illustrator originally from Taiwan and New Zealand. She currently works as a Graphics Journalist at Reuters Graphics creating original interactive graphic projects and infographic designs, with a focus on environmental and biological topics. Previously, she was the Data Visual Designer at Surgo Ventures and a Graphics Editor at National Geographic Magazine, where she worked with a collaborative team to engage the public through powerful visual and data storytelling. Daisy aims to make science more accessible and works directly with experts to communicate their research to a broader audience. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, National Geographic, Cell Press, The Journal of Neuroscience, and various science and educational platforms. When not drawing, you can find Daisy hiking, climbing rocks, and finding different uses for sourdough starters.
About the talk:
Explaining complex information and research to the public can be intimidating. Engaging your audience to care about the subject matter is even more challenging.
In this keynote, Daisy Chung, award-winning science visual communicator, and graphics journalist at Reuters Graphics, will share helpful tips and innovative ways to emotionally connect people with information through compelling graphics and powerful visual storytelling. She will draw from her experience creating infographics at print magazines such as National Geographic, Scientific American, and various scientific journals, and share how to bring visual stories from print to the digital platform with interactives and multimedia, such as her recent work at Reuters Graphics and Taiwan Data Stories.
Student Network on Extracellular Vesicles 