Speaker Profile
PMWC LUMINARY AWARD
Pioneering cfDNA methylome profiling (cfMeDIP-seq), enabling blood-based cancer detection and tissue of origin
Ph.D., Professor, U. of Toronto
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:
Adrian Lee, University of Pittsburgh
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Dennis J. Slamon, UCLA
• Arul M. Chinnaiyan, University of Michigan
Keynote
• Dennis J. Slamon, UCLA
Keynote: From Cancer Drivers to Clinical Decisions – Transforming Tumor Genomics into Therapy Guidance
• Arul M. Chinnaiyan, University of Michigan
Serial ctDNA-Guided Therapy Switching (SERENA-6 & Beyond)
• Chair: Adrian Lee, UPMC
• Pedram Razavi, MSK
• Minetta Liu, Natera
Neoadjuvant to Adjuvant MRD: How Early Is Early Enough?
• Chair: Angela DeMichele, University of Pennsylvania
• Halla Nimeiri, Tempus
• Aparna Parikh, Harvard
• Minetta Liu, Natera
• Christopher Lieu, University of Colorado
Multi-Omics Monitoring Beyond Variants: Methylation, Fragmentomics, EV/ctRNA
• David T. Miyamoto, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Maximilian Diehn, Stanford
• Daniel De Carvalho, University of Toronto
• Arul M. Chinnaiyan, University of Michigan
Rapid MRD to Treatment Decisions: Standardized ctDNA at Scale
• Chair: Luca Quagliata, ThermoFisher
From Validation to Payment: Coverage Pathways That Work
• Chair: Mark Stewart, Friends of Cancer Research
• Hilary Gee Goeckner, American Cancer Society
• Sally Werner, Cancer Support Community
• Gabriel A. Bien-Willner, Palmetto GBA
