From The President Recap Of The 19 Annual Scientific .

President’s Message, continued from page 1Day co-chairs, Jeff Wefel, Ian Dunn, Hideho Okada, MichaelLim and Michael Scheurer have put together a superbagenda that includes a number of esteemed speakers.Just prior to the 2015 main meeting, there will be twoconferences. Michael Vogelbaum will lead a Societyfor CNS Interstitial Delivery of Therapeutics (SCIDOT)conference, while Maciej Mrugala will extend his neurooncology review course to a full day program.Three final comments on the annual meeting. First, thevenue is an outstanding, new hotel located on the SanAntonio Riverwalk. Second, the Saturday Gala Dinnershould be a great evening hosted at a working ranch outsideof San Antonio. Finally, this year’s meeting represents anoteworthy landmark for SNO – our 20th anniversary.Several other activities have been prioritized over the pastmonths. Key SNO leadership participated in a technologyretreat earlier this spring which led to further advances forour website and the annual meeting. Our journals, NeuroOncology and Neuro-Oncology Practice have continuedto flourish under the leadership of Patrick Wen and SusanChang, respectively. Neuro-Oncology Practice is now listedin PubMed and rumor is that the impact factor for NeuroOncology has strengthened. Importantly our Europeancolleagues have agreed to formally partner with our journalswhile SNO will partner with EANO to develop the WorldFederation of Neuro-Oncology publication. Our internationaloutreach efforts continue to progress: the first SNO-supportedand organized conference in a developing country is expectedto initiate in 2016.As my term as President winds down, I plan to finish strong.Our Society continues to grow but much remains to be done.Please contact me, our executive director Chas Haynes,our vice-president Nino Chiocca, our secretary/treasurerEva Galanis or any member of the Board of Directors forsuggestions on other initiatives or to volunteer to help.Looking forward to seeing you all in San Antonio!Respectfully,David A. Reardon, MDSNO News2015 Annual Neuro-Tumor Club DinnerMeeting RecapThe 21st Annual Neuro-Tumor Club Dinner Meetingtook place in Philadelphia, PA, on April 20, 2015. Thismeeting, which is organized every year by the Societyfor Neuro-Oncology, has been a long-standing venuefor brain tumor researchers attending the annualmeeting of the AACR. The meeting took place at theHotel Monaco Philadelphia, which provided an excellentlocation in downtown Philadelphia near the main AACRvenue, and was co-chaired by Steven Brem, from theUniversity of Pennsylvania, and Mariano Viapiano, fromthe Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard MedicalSchool. Generous support for the meeting was providedby the companies Celldex Therapeutics, Genentech, andNovocure.IMPORTANT NOTE: Attendees or SNO members whowould like an electronic library of published current papersrelevant to the presentations at the Neuro Tumor Club,please send an email request to linda@soc-neuro-onc.org.Following the growing trend in participants to Societyfor Neuro-Oncology sponsored meetings, this eventwas attended by a large number of investigators (over175) from diverse areas of neuro-oncology. Forty-sevenabstracts of outstanding quality were received, the largestnumber since the beginning of the Neuro-Tumor Clubseries. The task of selecting the abstracts to a numbercompatible with the length of the dinner was difficult andrequired careful consideration from the Chairs, who endedup selecting 16 abstracts to be presented in four thematicsessions:- Brain Tumor Microenvironment and CNS Metastases- Biomarkers and Novel Technologies- Novel Agents and Translational Approaches- Stem Cells and Molecular PhenotypingThe first session opened with a novel look at the role ofthe tumor microenvironment, showing that active neuronsrelease a synaptic protein (neuroligin-3) that promotesglioma growth (Humsa Venkatesh, Stanford University).Two additional talks in this session described theimmunosuppressive effect of myeloid-derived suppressorcells in glioma (Neha Kamran, University of Michigan) andPI3K/Src-dependent invasive mechanisms in glioblastomacells, including a novel inhibitor, BKM-120 (MariaSperanza, Harvard Medical School).Page 4novel agents to detect and treat brain tumors: Ana Krtolica(Omniox, Inc.) described a novel oxygen-carrier protein thatimproves therapeutic efficacy against glioma while JohnLee (University of Pennsylvania) described fluorescentguided tumor resection using enhanced permeability andretention to enhance resectability of tumors using a FDAapproved cyanine dye (indocyanine green).Close to 200 researchers and clinician-scientists attended the 20th AnnualNeuro-Tumor Club Dinner that was held in the ballroom of the beautifulHotel Monaco in downtown Philadelphia.In the second session, two presentations highlightednovel technologies used to detect biomarkers and improvebrain tumor profiling: The first described the use of tumorproduced microvesicles to predict response (progressionvs. pseudoprogression) of glioblastoma patients totherapy (Sydney Evans, University of Pennsylvania),while the second described the sequencing of the wholeT cell receptor complement (TCRseq) in tumors as anew method to profile glioma patients by “immunophenotyping” (Jennifer Sims, Columbia University). Thefollowing two presentations in this session describednovel and exciting technologies to differentiate braintumor tissue from normal tissue, including real-timeoptical coherence tomography to measure light scattering(Carmen Kut, Johns Hopkins University) and real-timemass-spectrometry of tumor tissue “vaporized” duringelectrosurgery (Kevin O’Neill, Imperial College of London).The next session focused on translational studies andnovel agents for tumor detection or therapy, includingCNS tumors other than gliomas. Allison Hanaford(Johns Hopkins University) provided a novel, unbiasedpathway analysis in medulloblastoma, involving neuralstem cells that revealed cyclin-dependent kinases as akey therapeutic target; the second presentation focusedon pathway analysis of pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontinegliomas and demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy ofHDAC inhibitors (e.g., panobinostat) identified throughmolecular phenotyping (Catherine Grasso, Oregon HealthSciences Center and the Children’s Oncology Group).The next two presentations in this session describedSNO NewsWithout delay, the next and final session brought a wealthof “-omics” knowledge from novel strategies used to profilebrain tumors and stratify their therapeutic responses.Patrick Paddison (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center)described the novel use of CRISPR technology to identifytumor-suppressor genes in engineered glioma cells Thisexciting new technology was followed by an interestinganalysis of clonal heterogeneity and its impact on tumorrecurrence (Shiyuan Zeng, MD Anderson Cancer Center),and epigenetic regulation of EGFR expression in gliomas(Nadejda Tsankova, Mount Sinai Health Systems). Thelast two talks of the evening focused on breast metastasesto the CNS: The first of these talks detailed a large-scalegenomic study showing a pattern of mutations specific tometastatic cells homing to the brain, with 56% of patientshaving a clinically “actionable” genomic alteration (PriscillaBrastianos, Massachusetts General Hospital). In the finalpresentation of the evening, a whole genomic sequencing(WGS) of circulating metastatic tumor cells highlighted theexistence of mutations and mechanisms (e.g., hyperactiveDNA repair) that drive the dormancy, “stemness”, andtherapeutic resistance of metastases to the brain (DarioMarchetti, Baylor College of Medicine).Overall, the meeting was a lively event much enjoyed bythe participants. Both co-chairs kept a brisk pace to allowsufficient time for discussions, which followed almost all thepresentations and provided great feedback to the studiespresented. The tone of the venue was informal, cheerful, anddriven by great enthusiasm towards the data shown by thespeakers. At the conclusion of the event several researchersremained engaged in informal and animated conversationsprompted by the thought-provoking presentations.The Society thanks Drs. Brem and Viapiano for leading astimulating and enjoyable evening, and for encouraging theattendees to join them at the next Annual Meeting of theSociety for Neuro-Oncology, from November 19 to 22 inSan Antonio, Texas.Members are also encouraged to mark their calendars forthe next Neuro-Tumor Club Dinner, scheduled to take placeon Monday, April 18, 2016, in New Orleans, LA.Page 5

In MemoriamReport from the Seventh Annual Conference of theIndian Society of Neuro-OncologyBy Vinay PuduvalliThe Seventh Annual Conference of the Indian Societyof Neuro-Oncology (ISNO) was held in Kochi, India fromMarch 26–29, 2015. The scientific program was codirected by Drs. Ashok Pillai and Durga Menon from theAmrita Institute of MedicalSciences.The main program was precededby a unique preconferenceworkshop which includedlive neurosurgical casedemonstrations includingfunctional mapping and electrophysiologic monitoring duringtumor resection with an interactivelive telecast to remote attendeesat the conference venue.The main conference began with technical sessionsincluding image guided radiation oncology contouringand planning, routine and special techniques in molecularpathology and neurosurgical functional preservationsessions with topics focused on practical tips, pitfallsand troubleshooting. Dedicated sessions followed whichwere focused on tumor biology, translational advances,preclinical studies of novel therapeutics, and pediatricneuro-oncology. A special “Don’t miss it” session consistedof talks by international and national speakers whichbrought the audience up to date on recent practicechanging landmark studies and new internationalconsensus guidelines. The presidential oration by ISNOCarol KruseAndrew (Andy) T. ParsaPresident Dr. Vedantam Rajasekhar outlined the challengesof neuro-oncology practice in India. A special highlight of theconference was the Abhijit Guha Oration delivered by Prof.Hugues Duffau who provided insights into the benefits ofsupramaximal resections in low grade gliomas in his talk ”Newconcepts in the management of diffuse low grade gliomas:neuroplasticity and connectomics”.The conference also had dedicatedoral abstract and poster sessionscovering a variety of preclinical, clinicaland translational topics presented byfaculty and students from a spectrumof institutions across India. The ISNOaward sessions recognized the toprated Basic, Translational and Clinicalneuro-oncology presentations. The ISNOleadership also held a special sessionto lay the foundation towards generatingnationwide consensus practice guidelines for pathology, surgery,radiation therapy and chemotherapy to set benchmarks forexcellence in the practice of neuro-oncology. The conferencealso was the venue for launching the inaugural issue of abrain tumor primer booklet for patients to provide basic factsabout brain tumors and treatment and which is planned tobe translated into several Indian languages in addition to theEnglish version.The scientific program was complemented by a culturalprogram that provided a glimpse into the centuries old richtradition of music and classical dance of Kerala, the hoststate. Of note, ISNO plans to hold its Eighth Annual meetingin Hyderabad in 2016.Members of the Society for NeuroOncology will be saddened to know thatAndrew (Andy) T. Parsa, Chairman ofthe Department of Neurological Surgeryat the Feinberg School of Medicine,Northwestern University, passed awayon the morning of April 13th, 2015.Andy was remembered by Northwestern officials as a distinguishedscholar and an extraordinarilytalented surgeon. Known for his research on brain tumorimmunology, he published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, chapters and monographs in the past decade.Andy joined Feinberg in 2013 after serving as a professor andvice chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery atthe University of California at San Francisco, where he ledan innovative approach to treating brain cancer by removingpatients’ tumors and creating individual vaccines from theirmalignant masses. In July, his team released results fromthe study’s second phase, and his research is currently in itsthird-phase of clinical trials at Feinberg. Andy completed hisundergraduate degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University. He pursued medical and graduatedegrees at Downstate Medical Center, and later finished hisneurosurgical training at Columbia University. Andy strove forand achieved excellence in all his endeavors: as a neurosurgeon,researcher, educator, administrator, and, most importantly to him, asa husband to his wife, Charlotte, and father to his two daughters andone son.He was a long-time member of the Society for Neuro-Oncology and previously served on the Society’s Board of Directors. His passing is a tremendous loss to our community. Hetouched the lives of many, and will be sorely missed, both asa colleague and friend.A special symposium on immunotherapy, jointly supported bySNO and the Section on Tumors of the AANS/CNS, will be heldin Andy’s honor at the SNO annual meeting in San Antonio.Many have asked for more information about gifts to theParsa family for the education of their children. An anonymousdonor has come forward who will match gifts up to a total of 200,000. The following is the information received from thefamily to make a gift: Juju, Michi and Issay Parsa, c/o Charlotte Shum, 2726 North Mildred Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614.Memo: Parsa Children Education Fund.SNO NewsPage 6SNO NewsCarol Kruse, a UCLA scientistand recognized leader inimmunological therapy forbrain cancer, passed away onMarch 28, 2015, at her homein Los Angeles. Kruse was aprofessor of neurosurgery andmember of UCLA’s JonssonComprehensive Cancer Center,where she was pioneeringeffective immunotherapies for menand women with brain cancer. At the time of her passing,she was working on better understanding the immuneresistance mechanisms used by tumor cells to facilitate thedevelopment of alternative therapies for treating patientswith primary malignant brain tumors.A tireless contributor to her field, Kruse is best known forhaving conceived of Allogeneic Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes(AlloCTL), which target brain tumors by their expressionof the HLA Class I of human leukocyte antigens that areresponsible for regulation of the immune system that isnot expressed on normal quiescent neuroglia. Throughresearch grants and private funding, she initiated twoseparate clinical trials to treat primary brain tumor patientswith AlloCTL.Generous with her knowledge and experience, Krusesupported basic research for over 25 years. She mentoreddozens of graduate and postdoctoral students and researchassistants, and is responsible for training many individualswho went on to become leaders in their field. However, hermost important legacy are the patients whose lives havebeen extended by the experimental therapies she helped todevelop, bringing renewed hope to those who so often hadfew other options for treatment.Donations in her name may be made to the UC Regentsfor the “Carol Kruse-Gerschenson Memorial Fund” to UCLANeurosurgery, Development Office 300 Stein Plaza, Suite562 Los Angeles, CA, 90024.Page 7

News on SNO’s International OutreachEffortsBy Gelareh ZadehNeuro-Oncology CourseThe Society for Neuro-Oncology recently launched animportant new initiative to support the organization of aneducational neuro-oncology course in developing andemerging regions of the world. This initiative is supportedby Dr. Mark Bernstein, the Greg Wilkins-Barrick Chair atthe University Health Network, University of Toronto, withadditional matching support from the SNO Foundation.The inaugural call for proposals was sent out prior to the2014 SNO Annual Scientific Meeting, and a total of 17applications were received. The applications were reviewedby a committee comprised of Drs. Mark Gilbert, MarkBernstein, Gelareh Zadeh and David Reardon.Two proposals were selected from the 17 submission, basedon the merit of the proposal, quality of multidisciplinary teamand potential for accomplishment of goals for the meeting.The winning applications were submitted by teams lead byDrs. Gustavo Quispe (Peru) and Jafri Abdullah (Malaysia).The Society for Neuro-Oncologycongratulates the winners of the 2014SNO meeting travel scholarships.Mazda K. TurelIndiaSubhy HouissaTunisiaWendy Cristhyna Gomez GarciaDominican RepublicDaysi Chi-RamirezCubaMian GuoChinaTravel ScholarshipsBerrada NarjissMoroccoA total of ten individual travel scholarships to attend the 2014SNO meeting in Miami were awarded though a competitiveprocess to applicants from low income or developing nations.A record number of 90 applications were received fromthe following geographical regions: South America/CentralAmerica & the Caribbean, Central and Southern Africa,China & associated countries, Indian Sub-Continent, NorthAfrica & the Middle East and Eastern Europe.I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude tomy guide in India, Dr. Rakesh Jalali who introduced me to theworld of neuro-oncology and helped me become a successfulapplicant for this internationally competitive fellowship grant.SNO and its membership have been very kind and generousto provide this unique opportunity to young clinical scientistslike me to visit and receive training at one of the best placesand under the best mentors in the world.Kaunda IbebuikeNigeriaVladyslav BurykUkraineLorena BaroniArgentinaSince the inception of this initiative in 2010, SNO hasawarded travel scholarships to delegates from over 30developing nations.Last but not least, thanks to the generosity of SNO memberAli Choucair, SNO is exploring ways to make copies of ourjournals, Neuro-Oncology and Neuro-Oncology Practice,available at no cost to developing regions, with a focus onthe Middle East.Fellowship term: July 2013 – June 2015MentorsChief Mentor: Dr Eric Bouffet, The Hospital for SickChildren, Toronto.Translational Research: Dr Uri Tabori, The Hospital for SickChildren, Toronto.Radiation Oncology: Dr Normand Laperriere, PrincessMargaret Cancer Center, Toronto.Deepal Sanjeeva GunasekeraSri LankaApplications for the next round of funding will be posted tothe SNO website in the coming months with an applicationdeadline of mid-October so that the awards can beannounced at the 2015 SNO meeting in San Antonio.SNO International Outreach ResearchFellowship Recap: Rahul KrishnatryDrs. Gelareh Zadeh and Mark Bernstein (center) pictured with recipients ofSNO’s 2014 travel scholarships at the annual meeting in Miami, Florida.project with translationalimplications. Appropriatetime is usually the mostimportant factor indetermining success. Mostof the discovery trails havealready been published forPLGG, several phase I andphase II trials are active totarget the known pathways.But we still do not have aRahul Krishnatryvery robust CLIA approvedtest to guide this therapyand also the clinical prognostification for the known geneticalterations is largely unknown or disputed in literature.There was already a PLGG task force at Sick Kids whichhad collected clinical data with short and long termoutcomes for all PLGG ( 1000) diagnosed and treated atSick Kids since 1985. We have a large tumor bank for thesamples for these patients. Hence in last two years weworked as a large group in Tabori lab with the collaborationThe journey of last two years at Hospital for Sick Children,of Dr. Cynthia Hawkins’ lab to uncover the biology for ourToronto, has been an opportunity of life time for mepatient samples so far and correlate with outcomes. One ofunder the great mentorship of Drs. Bouffet, Tabori andthe recent publications from our group provided a glimpseLaperriere. During the early months of my training I wasof possible risk stratification for PLGG treatment in clinicsexposed to the clinical environment where I learnt how to(Mistry et al, JCO 2015). At the same time we optimize

the Sonic Hedgehog subgroup of medulloblastoma. Haotian Zhao The Keynote presentation was delivered by Craig Thompson, President and Chief . conference, while Maciej Mrugala will extend his neuro-oncology review course to a full day program. Three final comments on the annual meeting. Fir