Stephane Angers, PhD 
Director of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research,
University of Toronto

Peter Dirks, MD, PhD
Chief of the Neurosurgery Division, SickKids Hospital,
University of Toronto

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Dr. Dirks’ group have made significant contributions to our understanding of human brain tumors through the years. These discoveries included, but not limited to, the identification of brain cancer stem cells and dissecting the heterogeneity of these tumors (PMID: 15549107,  14522905, and 28854171). Dr. Angers is an expert in the field of signal transduction (with a focus on the Wnt pathway; PMID: 27869803 & 34105895). Furthermore, Angers is the scientific founder of two biotech companies, ModMab Therapeutics and AntlerA Therapeutics, which are pursuing the clinical development of novel antibody molecules regulating the Wnt pathway.

Both speakers have been collaborators and their teams joined forces on more than one important publication to understand the biology and define new therapeutic targets for brain cancers (PMID: 30995489 & 30842215). 

The Basic and Clinical Oncology Seminar Series (BCO) is a joint initiative by the IRCM and LDI institutes in Montreal. These monthly seminars will feature a clinical (MD or MD/PhD) and a basic scientist (PhD) speaker, both working on the same cancer or theme. The goal is to create a dialogue between those at the bench and their peers at the bedside. The long-term goal is to initiate and expedite collaborations like sharing samples and exchanging expertise. Each seminar is made of two talks, each for 15 minutes and 5 minutes of questions. The remaining 10 minutes is for open discussion.