On Wednesday, April 7, Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellows and distinguished leaders from our selection committee discussed pioneering a new field at the nexus of laboratory-based cancer research and data science.

Computational biologists apply theoretical principles and develop analysis and inference methods to decipher and understand biological systems. They are experts in quantitative approaches, data science and algorithms, while also having in-depth knowledge of complex biological processes. Particularly in cancer biology, there is a growing need for computational biology leaders with expertise and understanding in both quantitative and biological sciences.

The Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellowship Award program is designed to encourage quantitative scientists (trained in fields such as mathematics, computer science, physics, engineering, or related) to pursue research careers in computational biology under the joint mentorship of leaders in both computational science (“dry lab”) and cancer biology (“wet lab”).

Panel Speakers:

Siting Gan, PhD

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Gan studies brain metastasis of lung and breast cancers, applying the latest single-cell technologies and developing computational tools to dissect how tumor cells interact with resident brain cells to mediate the progression of cancers.

Vitor Mori, PhD

University of Vermont

Dr. Mori develops mathematical models of biological systems to understand the pharmacodynamics of the chemotherapy cisplatin following its direct injection into lung tumors to maximize therapeutic effects.

Hang Xu, PhD

Stanford University School of Medicine

Dr. Xu investigates the overall effect of chromosome instability on cancer progression and response to therapy by combining mathematical modeling, computational simulation, and a powerful 3D organoid experimental system.

Special thanks to our moderators:

Todd R. Golub, MD

Director and Founding Core Institute Member

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Damon Runyon Board Member

Chair, Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellowship Award Selection Committee

Caroline Uhler, PhD

Co-Director, Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Henry L. and Grace Doherty Associate Professor

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Institute for Data, Systems and Society

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Member, Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellowship Award Selection Committee