Abstract: In this presentation we will discuss viral vector-based gene delivery across the blood-brain barrier. We We will discuss different approaches to arm these Trojan horses to combat malignant brain tumors and activate anti-tumor immunity. We will also introduce multiplex non-invasive imaging techniques to monitor targeting, delivery, and activation at the tumor site.

Biography: Dr. Bakhos Tannous is an internationally renowned scientist, educator and administrative leader. Dr. Tannous has created a legacy of multidisciplinary team to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in cancer in general and brain tumors in particular including new views for diagnosis with >150 publications and review articles. He is a former Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and acted as the Director for the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Center, the Experimental Therapeutics Unit, and the Postdoctoral Division at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He was a member of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and served as Co-Director of the Molecular Neurogenetics Unit-East and Director of the MGH Viral Vector Production Facility. His research interest includes imaging, high throughput discovery of gene/cell/drug therapies for pediatric and adult malignant tumors, as well as blood-based cancer diagnostics. He recently joined AstraZeneca as the Head of NeuroOncology Discovery.
Dr. Tannous received many prestigious awards such as Honorary Degree from Harvard University, Outstanding Investigator Award from the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, Several Excellence in Research, Leadership, and Innovation Awards, Beirut Golden Award for outstanding achievement in medicine, the Young Investigator Award from the Society for Molecular Imaging for 3 years in a row, National Cancer Institute Pathway to Independence Award in cancer research, and several Outstanding Mentor Awards. He is a member of many national and international organizing committees and societies and has served as a member on many national institute of health and department of defense review board as well as different foundations.