FANTOM Meeting in Cambridge 2025
Annual Consortium Meeting
Date: Septemeber 11th to 12th, 2025
Location: WYNG Gardens conference centre, Thompsons Lane, Cambridge
The meeting program can be downloaded here. A LinkedIn video from the event can be found here.
Our recent meeting in Cambridge brought together bright minds for two days of science, collaboration, and British charm. The event began on the evening of arrival with a “Creepy Cambridge” tour, followed by a traditional English dinner and beers, a relaxed introduction to the city.
Day one started with a Biolution training workshop on writing successful grant proposals. After a warm welcome from Prof. Suzanne Turner, the scientific sessions kicked off with a series of talks. Prof. Megan Lim from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center presented her latest research on TYK2 fusion proteins in ALK- ALCL. This was followed by the first round of student presentations, featuring Will Shepherd, Magdalena Kršić, and Rebekka Salzmann. Dr. Florian Merkle from the Department of Pharmacology shared his work on shaping hPSC cells to study obesity, and Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal from the Department of Genomic Medicine at the University of Cambridge discussed how mutational signature analysis can help us understand tumorigenesis.
The evening concluded with dinner in the historic Graham Storey Room at Trinity Hall, providing an opportunity for lively discussion over excellent food.
Day two began with George Rassidakis from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who spoke on “The Emerging Role of NPM-ALK in Regulation of Anti-Tumour Immune Responses in ALK+ ALCL.” This was followed by career insights from former ALKATRAS PhD network student Dr. Stephen Ducray. Dr. Alison Schuldt from the Milner Therapeutics Institute presented her work, followed by FANTOM student presentations from Katarina Mišura, Gerardo Enrique Abarca Ríos, Julia Montague, and Aiindrila Dhara. Dr. Perla Pucci from the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge provided further scientific inspiration.
We then heard about ongoing research in Dr. Maike de la Roche’s lab at the CRUK Cambridge Institute, focusing on bi-specific and conjugate antibody drugs for solid cancer treatment. Additional FANTOM student presentations by Nicola Mora, Carla Vazquez-Amos, and Stefania Massari showcased their impressive work. Alice Archer from the Naked Scientists offered insight into a day in the life of a science communicator.
The afternoon featured an inspiring and emotional talk from Dr. Julia Gumy and Lisa Mordt, mothers of two ALK+ ALCL patients (Lila and Annika), who shared their experiences with third-generation TKI inhibitors as parents and patient advocates. The final scientific presentation was delivered by Dr. Jamie Blundell from the Early Cancer Institute, discussing the use of deep sequencing to understand mutant clonal evolution in AML.
The meeting ended with a pleasant surprise: the Scientific Advisory Board Prof. Suzanne Turner and Prof. Mariusz Wasik awarded the Best Poster Award to Stefania Massari and the Best Presentation Award to Aiindrila Dhara. The workshop concluded with punting along the river, closing two days of engaging science, meaningful discussions, and memorable Cambridge experiences.
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