2026 Campus-Wide Symposium on Basic Cancer Research
About the Event
Each year, the Cancer Research Institute symposium on basic cancer research brings together faculty and trainees from across the UC Irvine campus to share their research, exchange ideas, and build new collaborations within the cancer research community.
The program features a keynote lecture from Michael Karin, PhD of Sanford Burnham Prebys, a series of short research presentations from UCI faculty, and a poster session highlighting the work of trainees.
Register today for the 2026 Campus-Wide Symposium on Friday, May 1, 2026, at the Sue Gross Auditorium.
Hosted by:
Admission is open to all members of UC Irvine and the surrounding community without charge. Advance notification of attendance is requested. For information, contact the Cancer Research Institute at cri@uci.edu.
When:
Friday, May 1, 2026
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM PDT
Where:
Sue Gross Auditorium
Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences
854 Health Sciences Road
Irvine, CA 92617
Event Schedule
| Time | Speaker/Event | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 9:10 AM | Welcome | |
| 9:10 - 9:30 AM | Faculty Presentation: Dr. Nicholas Baker | Nucleolar Stress and Cancer |
| 9:30 - 9:50 AM | Faculty Presentation: Dr. Benita Sjogren | Regulating the regulators – targeting RGS2 in Gq-dependent uveal melanoma |
| 9:50 - 10:10 AM | Faculty Presentation: Dr. Piotr Konieczny | Inflammatory Memory and Cancer Development |
| 10:10 - 10:30 AM | Faculty Presentation: Dr. Shivashankar Othy | Role of Piezo1 in T Cell Function: Biomechanical Regulation of Solid Tumor Immunity |
| 10:30 - 10:50 AM | Faculty Presentation: Dr. Vittorio Sebastiano | Partial Nuclear Reprogramming as an anti-exhaustion solution: implications in Immunotherapies |
| 10:50 - 11:00 AM | Coffee Break | |
| 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Stem Cell Center Seminar Speaker: Dr. Christopher Pin Western University, Canada | Defining Epigenetic Mediators in Pancreatic Cancer Initiation & Progression |
| 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 1:00 - 2:00 PM | Keynote Speaker: Dr. Michael Karin | DNA damage and hepatocyte senescence in hepatocelluar tumorigenesis |
| 2:00 - 2:55 PM | Poster Session | |
| 2:55 - 3:00 PM | Poster Winners Announced |
About our Speakers
Nicholas Baker, PhD
Shivashankar Othy, PhD
Benita Sjogren, PhD
Piotr Konieczny, PhD
