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). Dr. Semmes received his Bachelor of Science at Auburn University followed by a Master of Science at University of West Florida. He then obtained his Ph.D. at George Washington University and subsequent completed training as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Semmes is Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology and Associate Dean for Translational Research at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He is the Anthem Distinguished Professor for Cancer Research and Founding Director of the Leroy T. Canoles Jr. Cancer Research Center. His laboratory employs cutting-edge proteomic-genomic approaches to characterize oncogene structure/function, uncover mechanisms that drive cellular transformation, and facilitate discovery of potential disease biomarkers. Dr. Semmes has been a principal investigator in the National Cancer Institute’s Early Detection Research Network since the program’s inception and currently leads the Virginia-UCLA-Toronto Biomarker Characterization Center, an NCI-designated center for biomarker development. Dr. Semmes has authored over 180 scientific articles and his research has been continually funded by the NIH. Dr. Nyalwidhe is Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology and the Leroy T. Canoles Jr Cancer Research Center at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dr. Nyalwidhe earned his PhD and completed his postdoctoral training in Molecular Parasitology and Proteomics at the Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany. His research focuses on cancer biology and infectious disease pathogenesis. The goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms that initiate and mediate progression to aggressive forms of urological cancers and to uncover pathways that modulate host-pathogen interactions to drive infectious disease pathogenesis. His research centers on developing and applying new technologies in the field of mass spectrometry-based multi-omics analysis to understand human disease pathogenesis, and the discovery and development of biomarkers. Ongoing studies in his laboratory focus on understanding the role of glycosylation in the progression to aggressive forms of prostate cancer and the utility of prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) glycoforms and glycoforms of other urinary glycoproteins as diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets for aggressive forms of the disease. He is a member of the Virginia-UCLA-Toronto Biomarker Characterization Center, an NCI-designated center for biomarker research at EVMS. Edit Dr. Das received his B.S. (1993) and Masters (1994) in Microbiology from the University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He worked as a microbiologist in Bangladesh until 2000. He then pursued further graduate studies at Kobe University in Kobe, Japan, where he received a Master of Agriculture degree in Bio-functional Chemistry (2003) and a Ph.D. degree in Life Science (2006), did post-doctoral training and continued as faculty in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics at VCU, USA. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, a member and director of the artificial intelligence efforts of the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) and a member of the cancer biology program of the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Das is focused on generating pharmacological and genetic-based anti-tumor drugs. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, most in high-impact journals. Dr. Das and his colleagues have been awarded six U.S. patents and multiple international patents, with additional applications under review. All of these patents are exclusively licensed to biotech startups, InterLeukin Combinatorial Therapies Inc. (ILCT) and InVaMet Therapeutics Inc. (IVMT) in Richmond, VA. Dr. Das is recognized as a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors.
