Conference Coverage

Presenter: Mustafa Ozcam, PhD Emerging research is redefining the role of the gut microbiome in food allergy and immune tolerance. Here to share some of the most groundbreaking findings is Dr. Mustafa Ozcam. He discusses how gut microbes metabolize allergenic proteins, shape immune development, and serve as potential biomarkers to predict oral immunotherapy success in food allergy patients. Dr. Ozcam is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and he spoke about this topic at the 2026 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Annual Meeting.

Presenter: Marcus Shaker, MD, MSc, FAAP, FACAAI, FAAAAI Financial and space limitations are two of the most pressing issues facing allergists and immunologists in academic practice. Fortunately, negotiation principles, like BATNA and ZOPA, and disruptive innovation tactics can help address these common issues. To learn more, we recently spoke with Dr. Marcus Shaker. Not only is he a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine in New Hampshire, but he also spoke about this topic at the 2026 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Annual Meeting.

Presenter: Sally E. Wenzel, MD, ATSF Given that severe asthma management is entering a new era of biologically driven precision, Dr. Sally Wenzel joins us to discuss the complexity within Type 2 inflammation and the limitations of relying on a single biomarker assessment. She also differentiates childhood-onset allergic asthma from adult-onset disease, underscoring how age of onset—along with underlying biology—can inform therapeutic strategy. Dr. Wenzel serves as the Director of the Asthma Institute at UPMC, and she spoke about this topic at the 2026 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Annual Meeting.

Presenter: Scott Sicherer, MD Based on a randomized study, children with higher baseline thresholds of peanut reactivity achieved markedly higher rates of sustained unresponsiveness after oral immunotherapy compared with untreated peers. Learn more about this study and its clinical implications with Dr. Scott H. Sicherer. Not only is he a Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, but he also spoke about this topic at the 2026 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Annual Meeting.

Guest: Raphael Schneider, MD, PhD, FRCPC, CIP Multiplex proteomic biomarker panels are redefining how we understand and monitor multiple sclerosis (MS) by capturing interconnected pathways in a single sample. Hear from Dr. Raphael Schneider as he explores how these tools could inform prognosis, risk stratification, and clinical trial design, which he spoke about at the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Schneider is a neurologist and researcher at the BARLO MS Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital as well as an Assistant Professor and the Elizabeth S. Barford Early Career Professor in Multiple Sclerosis in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Guest: Adil Harroud, MD Guest: Dylan Hamitouche Host: Ryan Quigley Multimodal aging signatures are reshaping our understanding of progression and prognosis in multiple sclerosis (MS). Host Ryan Quigley sits down with Dr. Adil Harroud and Mr. Dylan Hamitouche to learn more about implications for the future of risk stratification and personalized treatment in MS, a topic they presented on at the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Harroud is a neurologist and the co-leader of the Neuroimmunology Diseases Research Group at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University. Mr. Hamitouche is a medical student at McGill University.

Guest: Jennifer Yang, MD Emerging evidence shows that children with multiple sclerosis exhibit accelerated biological aging. Learn more about the potential implications with Dr. Jennifer Yang, who spoke about this topic at the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum. She's an Assistant Professor of Neurosciences at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and the Division of Pediatric Neurology at Rady Children's Hospital.

Presenter: Ryan Quigley Can real-time transepidermal water loss (TEWL) monitoring reduce the risk of anaphylaxis during oral food challenges in young children with peanut allergy? A pilot trial suggests it may. TEWL-guided stopping significantly lowered anaphylaxis rates and reaction severity without delaying treatment. This benefit was linked to earlier discontinuation of allergen exposure based on physiologic changes, rather than faster intervention. While larger studies are needed, these findings support TEWL monitoring as a promising tool to enhance safety and decision-making during food challenges. Learn more in this episode of AudioAbstracts.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Guest: Christopher T. Chen, MD What if a simple blood draw could reveal whether a patient is responding to treatment before surgery? That question is at the heart of a study presented at the 2025 ESMO Congress, which investigated neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade in mismatch-repair-proficient (MMR-p) colon cancer. In addition to confirming that combination immunotherapy prior to surgery is a safe and feasible approach, the study also found that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels correlated with both tumor burden and early treatment response. Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to unpack these insights is Dr. Christopher Chen, Assistant Professor in the Division of Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Guest: Marc Avrem, MD Understanding the differences between follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT) is essential for selecting the most appropriate approach for each patient. Dr. Marc Avram shares how harvesting methods, scarring patterns, and other patient-specific considerations can help inform technique choice. Dr. Avram is a dermatologist, hair loss and transplant specialist, and Clinical Professor of Dermatology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Guest: Marc Avram, MD Lengthy hair transplant procedures place significant physical demands on patients, physicians, and staff, making ergonomics a critical part of success. Dr. Marc Avram outlines practical, real-world strategies to improve positioning, workflow, and the procedural environment to enhance comfort, efficiency, and long-term musculoskeletal health. Dr. Avram is a dermatologist, hair loss and transplant specialist, and Clinical Professor of Dermatology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Host: Hallie Blevins, PhD For patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), cognitive impairment can quietly erode independence and quality of life. In this AudioAbstract, Dr. Hallie Blevins discusses a head-to-head comparison of cognitive training, aerobic exercise, and a combined approach and explores how we can better support cognition in these patients.

Guest: John H. Strickler, MD The treatment landscape for HER2-positive gastroesophageal cancer is rapidly evolving, with zanidatamab emerging as a new option following years of limited progress beyond trastuzumab. Dr. John Strickler joins us to share insights on how recent FDA approvals and novel agents are transforming outcomes in this complex disease setting. Dr. Strickler is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at Duke University School of Medicine and Co-Leader for the Precision Cancer Medicine and Investigational Therapeutics Program at the Duke Cancer Institute.

Guest: Daniela Molena, MD For patients with locally advanced gastroesophageal cancer, surgery remains a critical component of curative treatment—even in the era of chemoradiation and advanced imaging. Dr. Daniela Molena explores the challenges of assessing complete clinical response and the risks of non-operative management. Dr. Molena is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and a Thoracic Surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and she discussed this topic at the 2026 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

Guest: William Hall, MD From tumor detection to biomarker development, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the landscape of gastrointestinal oncology. In this expert-led program, Dr. William Hall explains how AI is being applied to data to identify tumor features and treatment susceptibilities faster and more precisely than traditional methods. Dr. Hall is a Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and he spoke about this topic at the 2026 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

Guest: Seth Wander, MD, PhD Over the past decade, CDK4/6 inhibitors have transformed the treatment landscape for HR+ breast cancer, but resistance remains a key clinical challenge. Hear from Dr. Seth Wander as he explores the latest translational insights into resistance mechanisms, including genomic alterations affecting cell cycle and signal transduction pathways, and discusses evolving therapeutic strategies. Dr. Wander is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Director of Precision Medicine at the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. He also spoke about this topic at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Host: Pavani Chalasani, MD, MPH Guest: Timothy Yap, MBBS, PhD, FRCP Early findings from the PETRA study suggest that combining saruparib with camizestrant may offer added clinical benefit in ER+/HER2– advanced breast cancer, particularly in patients with BRCA or PALB2 mutations. Tune in to hear from Dr. Pavani Chalasani and Dr. Timothy Yap as they discuss this encouraging new data on tolerability and antitumor activity. Dr. Yap is the Ransom Horne, Jr. Endowed Professor for Cancer Research, Vice President and Head of Clinical Development in the Therapeutic Discovery Division, and a professor in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He recently presented this research at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Host: Ryan Quigley Guest: Kathrin M. Bernt, MD Guest: Rushabh Mehta, BS Guest: Fatemeh Alikarami New data presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition reveals how chemotherapy and immunotherapy may drive the emergence of CD-19–negative, myeloid-like subclones in pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Mr. Ryan Quigley sits down with Dr. Kathrin Bernt, Dr. Fatemah Alikarami, and Mr. Rushabh Mehta to discuss how their findings could impact minimal residual disease detection, therapy resistance, and future risk stratification strategies. Dr. Bernt is a pediatric oncologist and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Alikarami is a Research Associate Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Mr. Mehta is a PhD candidate in cell and molecular biology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Guest: Ashvini Keshavan, MRCP, PhD Very few patients in UK memory services receive an Alzheimer’s diagnosis supported by molecular testing, limiting timely access to emerging therapies. The ADAPT trial—which was funded by the Blood Biomarker Challenge, a multi-million-pound program supported by the Alzheimer's Society, Alzheimer's Research UK, and players of People's Postcode Lottery—aims to close this gap by evaluating the real-world integration of blood-based biomarkers into standard NHS memory care pathways. Join Dr. Ashvini Keshavan as she discusses how this approach may impact diagnostic accuracy, treatment access, and healthcare resource use across the UK. Dr. Keshavan is a Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant Neurologist specializing in Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers at the University College London, and this topic was presented as a poster at the 2025 CTAD conference.

Guest: Victoria Coleman-Cowger, PhD Gene therapy offers transformative potential for individuals with sickle cell disease, but the psychosocial challenges that accompany such a major decision are often underestimated. Hear from Dr. Victoria Coleman-Cowger as she highlights recommendations for supporting emotional wellbeing during and after gene therapy and explains the importance of recognizing both the psychological and social impacts of curative treatment. Dr. Coleman-Cowger is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Associate Vice President of Neurology and Cell and Gene Therapy at Emmes, a full-service clinical research foundation.