Building on the success of the inaugural event, this one-day, hybrid symposium will bring together leading international, national, and local experts to explore the latest advances in anticancer drug development, with a focus on immunotherapies, novel targets, and emerging cancer therapeutics. The program will feature focused scientific talks, interactive debates, and panel discussions highlighting innovations across the translational and clinical research continuum for academic and community oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, basic and translational scientists, trainees, pharmaceutical and biotech leaders, regulatory professionals, clinical trials staff, and patient advocates.
This symposium aims to provide a clinical and translational perspective on developmental therapeutics, emphasizing how precision cancer medicine can be effectively translated into real‑world clinical practice at the point of care.
MaRS Discovery
District Auditorium,
Toronto, ON
FridayNovember 13, 2026
Eric Fischer, PhD, is the Joseph Deitch Family Chair at Dana‑Farber, Director of the Chemical Biology Program, and Professor at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on ubiquitin‑mediated protein regulation and the development of targeted protein degradation, a novel therapeutic approach. His work on thalidomide helped define its mechanism and inspired new drug discovery strategies now in clinical trials. Dr. Fischer has received multiple awards, including the Damon Runyon Innovation Award, and is a co‑founder of several biotechnology companies.
Dr. John Valliant is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at McMaster University and an internationally recognized expert in medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals. He founded the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC) and later Fusion Pharmaceuticals, a targeted alpha therapy company acquired by AstraZeneca in 2024 for over US$2 billion. He completed his PhD at McMaster, followed by postdoctoral training at Harvard and MIT, and has received national recognition for his interdisciplinary research and innovation.
