Meet our Invited Speakers

Professor Clare Turnbull is Professor of Translational Cancer Genetics in the Division of Genetics and Epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research, London. Her research spans statistical, population and public-health-related analyses of genetic cancer susceptibility and implementation of expanded genomic testing. She is currently rolling out a new £4.3 million Cancer Research UK(CRUK)-funded program: ‘CanGene-CanVar: Data Resources, Clinical and Educational Tools to leverage Cancer Susceptibility Genetics for Early Detection and Prevention of Cancer’ program. 

As an honorary consultant in Public Health, she is working closely with Public Health England in this program to incorporate genomic data into the National Cancer Registration datasets. She is also in process of initiating BRCA-DIRECT: a CRUK-funded program to develop and pilot a digital platform to deliver BRCA testing, enabling extension of testing to all women with breast cancer. Undertaking germline, somatic and functional genomic studies in various tumour types, Professor Turnbull has a particular interest in testicular cancer. Her team has led the international field in identification of genetic factors influencing testicular germ cell tumorogenesis. 

Having trained as a Clinical Geneticist, her clinical work at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust focuses on management of patients and families with genetic susceptibility to cancer. From 2014 to 2020, Professor Turnbull worked as Clinical Lead for Cancer Genomics for the Genomics England 100,000 Genomes Project.

Professor Turnbull undertook her preclinical training in Cambridge and qualified in medicine from The University of Oxford. She undertook general medical training across hospitals in Oxford and London and specialist training in Clinical Genetics in London. She completed a PhD in Genetic Epidemiology and Molecular Genetics at the ICR and a Masters degree in Epidemiology and Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is a member by distinction of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine and a fellow of both the Royal College of Pathologists and Royal College of Physicians.

Dr. David Huntsman (MD, FRCPC, FCCMG) is the Dr. Chew Wei Memorial Professor of Gynaecologc Oncology, holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Molecular and Genomic Pathology, and is a Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UBC. He is also the co-Founder and Director of OVCARE, BC’s multidisciplinary gynecologic cancer research team.

Dr. Huntsman’s early research has provided most of the data that underpins the current management of hereditary gastric cancer. Over the past decade, his research has led to development of predictive and prognostic tissue based cancer biomarkers for ovarian cancer and a wide variety of other tumour types. His team created a blueprint for subtype specific ovarian cancer control and have been leaders in the application of novel genomic technologies to better prevent, diagnose and treat ovarian cancer. Specifically, next generation sequencing was used to discover the key driver mutations in granulosa cell and sertoli leydig cell tumours as well as clear cell, endometrioid and small cell ovarian carcinomas. These discoveries are being translated into improved diagnostics and treatment strategies. Based on research into precursor lesions, the OVCARE team has implemented a population based prevention strategy for ovarian cancer that includes opportunistic salpingectomy and more pervasive genetic screening. Dr. Huntsman’s most recent research has focused on the cellular origins of clear cell and endometrioid ovarian carcinomas, the role of somatic mutations in the development of endometriosis and the transformation of endometriosis into these cancers.

Collaboration and entrepreneurship are both critical ingredients of clinically relevant research. To that end Dr. Huntsman leads several Canadian and international collaborative networks and recently founded a company, Contextual Genomics, to increase the clinical and economic impact of his work.

Dr. Huntsman has been honoured with leadership and research excellence awards including the inaugural Ovarian Cancer Canada Virginia Greene Leadership Award (2011), the inaugural Ovarian Cancer Canada Karen Campbel Award for Research Excellence (2012), the Canadian Cancer Society William E. Rawls Prize (2013), the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre William Gerald Award for Translational Cancer Research and Pathology (2016), and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Aubrey T. Tingle Prize (2018).

Affiliations

OVCARE
UBC Department of Pathology
UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
UBC Genome Science and Technology Graduate Program
UBC and BC Cancer Interdisciplinary Oncology Program
CIHR/MSFHR Bioinformatics Program

Credentials

Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of British Columbia
Dr. Chew Wei Memorial Professor of Gynaecologic Oncology, University of British Columbia
Canada Research Chair in Molecular and Genomic Pathology
Director of OVCARE, Vancouver General Hospital, BC Cancer and University of British Columbia
Distinguished Scientist, Department of Molecular Oncology, BC Cancer Research Centre
Director of the Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Vancouver General Hospital
Associate Member, BC Cancer, Genome Sciences Center
Associate Member, University of British Columbia, Department of Medical Genetics
Associate Member, University of British Columbia, Department of Urologic Sciences
Associate Member, University of British Columbia, CIHR/MSFHR Bioinformatics Program
Associate Member, University of British Columbia and BC Cancer, Interdisciplinary Oncology Program
Associate Member, University of British Columbia, Genome Science and Technology Graduate Program
MD, Memorial University of Newfoundland 1988
Rotating Internship, Dalhousie University 1989
Pathology Residency, University of British Columbia 1995
Clinical Oncology and Cancer Genetics Fellowship, University of Cambridge 1999

Professor Douglas Easton is currently Director of the Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology within the Department of Public Health and Primary Care. He studied Mathematical Statistics at the University of Cambridge before gaining a PhD in Genetic Epidemiology at the University of London in 1992.  In 1995 he set up the Cancer Research UK Genetic Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge, where he was a CRUK Principal Research Fellow from 2001-2011.  He was awarded Professorship of Genetic Epidemiology in 2003.

The main research interest of the Centre is in genetic susceptibility to common cancers and the aim of Professor Easton’s research group is to identify and characterise genetic variants associated with cancer risk, with particular emphasis on the hormone related cancers.  Much of their recent work has focused on the analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to characterise common susceptibility variants, and the characterisation of susceptibility loci through fine-mapping.  The group has conducted GWAS in breast cancer, prostate, endometrial and testis cancer.  Prof Easton’s group also co-ordinates three large international consortia: the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), Prostate Cancer Association Group to Investigate Cancer Associated Alterations in the Genome (PRACTICAL) a collaboration with Professor Ros Eeles (team leader at ICR, London) and, in collaboration with Dr Antoniou and Dr Georgia Chenevix-Trench (head of Cancer Genetics at QIMR Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia), the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA).  Professor Easton’s current work includes evaluating the role of rarer variants in breast and prostate cancer, and susceptibility to cancer-related traits including breast density, steroid hormones and telomere length.

Teaching

For a number of years Professor Easton has lectured for part of the MPhil in Epidemiology and currently mentors for PhD students. He also lectures for part of the Natural Sciences Tripos Biochemistry Course in the Department of Biochemistry.

Selected Publications

Lee, A., et al… (2016) Incorporating Truncating Variants in PALB2, CHEK2 and ATM into the BOADICEA Breast Cancer Risk Model. Genetics In Medicine net Med. 2016 Apr 14. 2016 Dec;18(12):1190-1198. Pubmed ID: 27464310

Dunning A., et al … (2016) Breast cancer risk variants at 6q25 display different phenotype associations and regulate ESR1, RMND1 and CCDC170, Nature Genetics 48(4):374-86 PubMed ID: 26928228

Easton, D.F., et al… (2015) Gene-Panel Sequencing and the Prediction of Breast-Cancer Risk. N Engl J Med  Jun 4;372(23):2243-57 PubMed ID: 26014596

Mavaddat N, et al… (2015) Prediction of breast cancer risk based on profiling with common genetic variants. J Natl Cancer Inst. Apr 8;107(5) PubMed ID 25855707

Michailidou K, et al…Easton DF (2015) Genome-wide association analysis of more than 120,000 individuals identifies 15 new susceptibility loci for breast cancer. Nat Genet. 2015;47(4):373-80. PubMed ID: 25751625

Milne RL, et al …Easton DF (2014) A large-scale assessment of two-way SNP interactions in breast cancer susceptibility using 46 450 cases and 42 461 controls from the breast cancer association consortium.  Hum Mol Genet 23 (7): 1934-1946 PubMed ID: 24242184

Mavaddat N, et all…Easton DF (2013) Cancer Risks for BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers: Results From Prospective Analysis of EMBRACE. J Natl Cancer Inst 105 (11): 812-822 PubMed ID: 23628597

Michailidou K, et al …Easton DF (2013) Large-scale genotyping identifies 41 new loci associated with breast cancer risk. Nat Genet 45 : 353-361 PubMed ID: 23535729

Ghoussaini M, et al … Easton DF (2012) Genome-wide association analysis identifies three new breast cancer susceptibility loci. Nat Genet 44 : 312-318. PubMed ID: 22267197

Varghese JS, et al … Easton DF (2012) Mammographic breast density and breast cancer: evidence of a shared genetic basis. Cancer Res 72 : 1478-84. PubMed ID: 22266113

Kote-Jarai Z, et al … (2011) Seven prostate cancer susceptibility loci identified by a multi-stage genome-wide association study. Nat Genet 43 : 785-791. PubMed ID: 21743467

Macinnis RJ, et al … Easton DF (2011) A risk prediction algorithm based on family history and common genetic variants: application to prostate cancer with potential clinical impact. Genet Epidemiol 35 : 549-556. Pub Med ID: 21769933

Turnbull C, et al … (2010) Genome-wide association study identifies five new breast cancer susceptibility loci. Nat Genet 42:504-507. PubMed ID: 20453838

Ahmed S, et al … Easton DF (2009) Newly discovered breast cancer susceptibility loci on 3p24 and 17q23.2. Nat Genet 41:585-590. PubMed ID: 19330027

Al Olama AA, et al … Easton DF (2009) Multiple loci on 8q24 associated with prostate cancer susceptibility. Nat Genet 41 : 1058-1060 PubMed ID: 19767752

Eeles RA, et al … (2009) Identification of seven new prostate cancer susceptibility loci through a genome-wide association study. Nat Genet 41 : 1116-1121 PubMed ID: 19767753

Eeles RA, et al … (2008) Multiple newly identified loci associated with prostate cancer susceptibility. Nat Genet 40 : 316-321. PubMed ID: 18264097

Dr James Flanagan, completed his PhD in 2002 at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, and has pursued postdoctoral work in Cancer Genetics, Epigenetics and Cancer Epigenetics. He was awarded a Breast Cancer Campaign Scientific Fellowship (Imperial, 2009-2014) and is now a Senior Lecturer (2014-present) in the Division of Cancer, Dept. of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. He was awarded the British Association of Cancer Research Translational Researcher Award in 2011 and is the principal investigator for the OCA funded programme "Risk and Prevention" based in the Ovarian Cancer Action Research Centre and the CRUK funded project "Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS)"

Professor Jo Morris is interested in the way our cells maintain and repair our genome, keeping our DNA intact.

A particular interest is the functions of the breast and ovarian cancer predisposition protein BRCA1 and the way it works in controlling DNA resection and DNA replication. She also works on the small modifier proteins, ubiquitin and SUMO and is interested in how these change the way that proteins behave in order to aid DNA repair and DNA replication.

Jo has published research papers in scientific journals as well as reviews and book chapters in the fields of breast cancer genetics, the cellular response to DNA damage and small modifier biology of ubiquitin and SUMO. She has research grants from the Breast Cancer Now and Cancer Research UK.

CAREER TO DATE

2013-                  Reader in Cancer Genetics, University of Birmingham.

2010-2013           Senior Lecturer, University of Birmingham.

2007-2010           Breast Cancer Campaign Fellow, King’s College London.

2003-2006           Medical Research Council Fellow, King’s College London.

2000-2002           Post doc, King’s College London.

Marjanka Schmidt was awarded a Translational Cancer Research Award from the Dutch Cancer Society in 2009 to start her own research line. Her research line focuses on the effects of genetic variants on risk of breast cancer subtypes, prognosis and long-term outcome of breast cancer, combining the areas of epidemiological and molecular research. One major promise is that advances in the genetics area will lead to personalized medicine, where preventive and therapeutic interventions for complex diseases can be individually tailored to a person's genetic profile. Marjanka's group aims to contribute to the genome-based applications in health care practice by elucidating the role of germline variants in breast cancer risk and prognosis by molecular and genetic epidemiological studies, as well as addressing ethical, legal and societal aspects of genomics.