Speaker Profile
PMWC LUMINARY AWARD
Pioneering cfDNA methylome profiling (cfMeDIP-seq), enabling blood-based cancer detection and tissue of origin
Ph.D., Full Professor, U. of Toronto; CSO & Co-Founder, Adela
Biography
Dr. Daniel De Carvalho is a leading cancer biologist recognized for pioneering cfDNA methylome profiling (cfMeDIP-seq), the first method to demonstrate that tumor-specific methylation patterns in plasma can reveal both the presence and tissue-of-origin of cancer. His research bridges epigenetics, liquid biopsy, and translational oncology, driving new approaches for early cancer detection, minimal residual disease detection, surveillance, classification and monitoring therapy response. At the University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, his lab investigates how DNA methylation dynamics inform tumor evolution, transposable elements regulation, viral mimicry and treatment response. Dr. De Carvalho’s discoveries have reshaped how scientists and clinicians view the potential of epigenetic biomarkers in precision oncology and pioneered the use of cfDNA methylation for clinical use.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Victor Velculescu, Johns Hopkins University
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Klaus Pantel, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf / ELBS
• Daniel De Carvalho, University of Toronto
Keynote: Early Detection of Cancer by Multimodal Liquid Biopsy Analysis
• Klaus Pantel, UKE / ELBS
From Mutation to Methylation: The Next Wave of Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers
• Chair: Victor Velculescu, Johns Hopkins University
• Daniel De Carvalho, University of Toronto
• Manel Esteller, Sant Pau Research Institute
• Gordon Sanghera, Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Advancing Minimal Residual Disease Detection Through cfDNA & cfRNA Profiling
• Chair: Luis Diaz, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Anne-Renee Hartman, Adela
• Klaus Pantel, UKE / ELBS
AI-Informed Biomarker Trials: Turning Early Signals into Actionable Designs
• Chair: Manish Kohli, University of Utah
• Luis Diaz, MSKCC
• Eric Klein, GRAIL
• Peter Bach, DELFI Diagnostics
• Samuel Levy, ClearNote Health
Role of AI in Liquid Biopsies & Cancer Detection
• Chair: Amoolya Singh, DELFI Diagnostics
• Matthew Baker, Dxcover
• Pankaj Vats, NVIDIA
Fragmentomics for Early Detection
• Varsha Rao, Claret Bioscience
Integrating Genetic Risk with Early Detection
• Giordano Botta, Allelica
Metagenomic Diagnostics & Global Pathogen Surveillance
• Charles Chiu, UCSF
AI-Driven Host–Pathogen Signatures from Plasma cfDNA
• Sivan Bercovici, Karius
Ultra-Sensitive Multimodal Liquid Biopsy for Early Cancer Detection
• Atul Sharan, CellMax Life
AI-Enhanced Proteomic Signatures for Early Cancer Detection
• Diana Abdueva, Aqtual
