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Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes Virtual Forums

Illustration of a green and black tumor-draining lymph node over a histological image of a lymph node. The image is below the following text: "Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes: Gaps and Opportunities Forum Series

The Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes Virtual Forum Series brought together leading experts in lymph node biology, immunology, and cancer—from experimental scientists and clinicians to computational and in silico modelers—in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment. 

Forum discussions evaluated the current state of the science surrounding the tumor–tumor-draining lymph node (tdLN)–systemic dialogue across cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis, defined key technical challenges in the field, and explored innovative strategies to disrupt tumor-promoting communication or reprogram tdLNs to enhance anti-tumor immunity and block metastatic progression.

Goals of the Virtual Forums

Objectives of the Virtual Forums included:

  • Identify gaps and opportunities in the basic understanding of tumor-draining lymph node (tdLN) biology and immunology that are critical for empowering clinical decision-making.
  • Enable scientists to address clinically relevant questions and translate mechanistic insights into actionable strategies.
  • Foster collaborations between clinicians and basic researchers, including identifying opportunities for access to patient samples, ensuring their optimal and efficient use by biologists, and aligning sample acquisition with the most pressing scientific questions.

Recordings of Past Virtual Forums

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Lymph Nodes Remodeling in Health and Disease: Lessons for Cancer

Moderator & Speakers:

Headshots of Drs. Burkhard Ludewig, Amanda Lund, Ivan Maillard, & Sophie Acton
  • Burkhard Ludewig, D.V.M., Professor, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen
  • Amanda W. Lund, Ph.D., Associate Professor, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
  • Ivan Maillard, M.D., Ph.D., Head of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies, MSKCC
  • Sophie E. Acton, Ph.D., Professor of Immunology, University College London

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Events that Facilitate Metastasis to the Tumor Draining Lymph Nodes

Moderator & Speakers:

Headshots (left to right) of Drs. Timothy Padera, Jessalyn Ubellacker, Stefani Spranger and Jonathan Villena-Vargas
  • Timothy P. Padera, Ph.D., Professor of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
  • Jessalyn M. Ubellacker, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Stefani Spranger, Ph.D., Associate Director of Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Kathleen and Curtis; Marble Professor in Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Jonathan Villena-Vargas, M.D., Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Tumor Draining Lymph Node Dynamics: Systemic Relevance and Effects on Distant Metastasis, Lessons from Patients and Animal Models (Part 1)

Moderator & Speakers:

Headshots of Drs. Nathan Reticker-Flynn, Mary Jo Turk, Kamila Naxerova, and Alexander Huang
  • Nathan Reticker-Flynn, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Stanford University
  • Mary Jo Turk, Ph.D., Professor, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
  • Kamila Naxerova, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
  • Alexander Huang, M.D., Assistant Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Tumor Draining Lymph Node Dynamics: Systemic Relevance and Effects on Distant Metastasis, Lessons from Patients and Animal Models (Part 2)

Moderator & Speakers:

Headshots of Drs. Tanja D. De Gruijl, Eliane Piaggio, Nicolas Girard, and Sylvio Gutkind
  • Tanja D. De Gruijl, Ph.D., Professor of Translational Immunology, Amsterdam UMC
  • Eliane Piaggio, Ph.D., Translational Immunotherapy Team, Institut Curie
  • Nicolas Girard, M.D., Ph.D., Thoracic Oncologist, Institut Curie
  • Sylvio Gutkind, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, UCSD Moores Cancer Center

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Tumor Draining Lymph Nodes in the Context of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures

Moderator & Speakers:

Headshots of Drs. Marie-Caroline Dieu-Nosjean, Francesca Barone, Nikhil Joshi, & Juan C. Osorio
  • Marie-Caroline Dieu-Nosjean, Ph.D., Research Director, Center of Immunology and Microbial Infections (Cimi), Inserm, Sorbonne University
  • Francesca Barone, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Candel Therapeutics
  • Nikhil S Joshi, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Immunobiology, Co-Leader for Cancer Immunology Program, Yale School of Medicine
  • Juan C. Osorio, M.D., Assistant Member, Immuno-Oncology Program, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Emerging Technologies and Models to Study Human Lymph Node Metastasis: Challenges and Opportunities

Moderator & Speakers:

headshots of Drs. Matthew H. Spitzer, Benjamin Kahn, Ang Cui, Sri Krishna, & Susan N. Thomas
  •  Matthew H. Spitzer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of California, San Francisco and the Gladstone Institutes
  • Benjamin Kahn, Ph.D., Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania
  • Ang Cui, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Broad Institute
  • Sri Krishna, Ph.D., Stadtman Investigator, Surgery Branch, NCI
  • Susan N. Thomas, Ph.D., Woodruff Professorship and Full Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology

DCB Contacts for the TDLN Virtual Forums

For additional information about the TDLN Virtual Forum Series, please contact Dr. Monica Zamisch or Dr. Christine Nadeau. 

  • Updated:

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