Discovery and Basic Research

Keynote: Drug Delivery Systems for Translational Immunotherapy

Keynote Speaker(s)

• 

  James Moon, PhD

  Professor
  University of Michigan
  Ann Arbor, Michigan

Moderator(s)

• 

  Shijie Cao, PhD (he/him/his)

  Assistant Professor
  University of Washington

Immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer treatment, but its success is often limited by immune-related toxicity and variable patient response. In this talk, I will present innovative drug delivery platforms designed to overcome these challenges by modulating the gut microbiome and innate immune pathways. We have developed a dietary fiber-based oral gel that reshapes the gut microbiota to boost systemic immunity and enhance checkpoint blockade efficacy. As a second research thrust, we introduce a novel nanoparticle-based metalloimmunotherapy for potent systemic immune activation. These drug delivery-driven approaches represent a new frontier in translational immunotherapy, offering scalable and patient-friendly strategies to transform cancer care.