BIOPHOTONICS IN CANCER SYMPOSIUM
Background and Scope
The Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg with the financial support from the African Laser Centre is organizing a two day event on Cancer and Biophotonics. The symposium is proposed to exchange knowledge on photonics as applied to cancer, cancer therapy and introduce new therapeutic modalities including photodynamic therapy. Inviting both national and internationally renowned scientists, researchers and clinicians, this International symposium, with the motto of emerging strategies in cancer therapy, will improve current knowledge and understanding as well as recent developments in therapeutic aspects of cancer. The symposium is designed with six themes on Cancer and Biophotonics with eminent speakers in each session delivering their expertise in relevant areas. The symposium will also aim to include young researchers and postgraduate students allowing them to participate through sessions and poster presentations discussing their research findings. The topics to be discussed in the proposed symposium includes Therapeutic innovations in cancer, Opportunities in cancer biology, Application of photonics in oncology, Safety and challenges in laser therapy. The symposium will definitely enhance the laser research centre in terms of collaboration and research exchange programmes with participating institutes and hospitals.
The Symposium has been accredited with 10 CPD points
| PROF. BERNARDO RAPOPORT Extraordinary Professor, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Recent advances in cancer immunotherapy
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| PROF. STEFAN BARTH SARChI Chair in Cancer Biotechnology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town TITLE OF PRESENTATION: SNAP tag-based antibody fusion proteins for immunodiagnosis and targeted PDT
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| PROF. JEFFERSON LUIS FERRARI Professor and Researcher, Uberlandia Federal University, Chemistry Institute, Brazil TITLE OF PRESENTATION: The use of rare earths doped inorganic materials as an alternative to improve the quality in photodynamic therapy.
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| DR. AHMED EL-HUSSEIN Associate Professor, The National Institute of Laser Enhanced Science, University of Cairo. Egypt TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Phototherapy and in situ autologous cancer vaccine (inCVAX)
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| PROF. HEIDI ABRAHAMSE SARChI Chair Laser Applications in Health, Director, Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Photodynamic therapy as potential treatment modality for cancer and cancer stem cells. | 
| PROF. DEMETRA MAVRIC DAMLIN Professor, School of Molecular and Cell Biology Wits University, Johannesburg TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Targeting cancer cell metabolism in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma using a drug repurposing approach
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| DR. MELVIN AMBELE Senior Research Officer at the Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Biology, and Principal Investigator at the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM), University of Pretoria TITLE OF PRESENTATION: The need for molecular data to improve oral cancer diagnosis and management
PROF. CLEMENT PENNY Chair of the Human Research Ethics Committee and Senior Research Scientist, JHB Oncology Research Division at the Wits Health Consortium and the University of the Witwatersrand Medical Oncology Division. TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Inhibition of the SHH pathway in colon cancer stem cells
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| PROF. ADRIENNE LESLEY EDKINS NRF/DST SARChI Chair in MCB of the Eukaryotic Stress Response, Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Science. TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Molecular chaperone networks in cancer - drivers of cellular processes and drug targets.
PROF. REINOUT MEIJBOOM Professor and Head, Department of Chemistry University of Johannesburg TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Silver(I) complexes as anticancer agents
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PROF. SUPRAKAS SINHA RAY Chief Researcher and Director of the DST-CSIR National Centre for Nanostructured Materials TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Cancer Nanotechnology
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| DR. VALERIA RODRIGUEZ-FAJARDO
Researcher, School of Physics, WITS, Johannesburg.
TITLE OF PRESENTATION:
Structured light in cancer research: A brief overview.
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DR CHERIE KRUGER Researcher, Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg South Africa TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Investigation of nano immunotherapy drug delivery in lung cancer cells
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| Professor, Department of Emergency Medical Care, University of Johannesburg TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Autonomy: ethico-legal considerations in research and clinical cancer care
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| DR. BLASSAN GEORGE Researcher, Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg, South Africa TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Role of phytochemicals in photodynamic therapy of cancer
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Symposium Program
Click here to download symposium program.
Venue and Date
Venue: School of Tourism and Hospitality, Auckland Park Bunting Road Campus, University of Johannesburg
Date: 5-6 September 2019
Topics to be covered:
- Cancer: Gene to Gender
- Application of photonics in cancer treatment
- Pathogenesis of Cancer
- Cancer therapy: Promises and Potholes
- Oncological Surveillance
- Challenges in cancer research and treatment
Who should attend?
The symposium is designed for eminent scientists, professors, doctors, clinicians and research scholars working in the areas of cancer biology, medicine, and photonics. The symposium will seek balanced participation by hospitals, industries, scientific institutes and policy makers so that relevant issues, with special reference to cancer therapy may be discussed.
Invited Speakers
Download a comprehensive list of all the speakers that will deliver presentations on various interesting topics during the symposium.
Click to download.