Speaker Profile
Ph.D., Senior Scientist, UCSF
Biography
Dr. Magbanua is a Senior Scientist at the University of California San Francisco, Department of Laboratory Medicine. He possesses extensive expertise in liquid biopsy, genomics, and data science research. He leads projects involving circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) within the I-SPY2 trial, a clinical study assessing neoadjuvant therapies—treatments given before surgery. His early research focused on developing technologies to detect and characterize circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Findings from his investigations have significantly contributed to the understanding of the clinical significance and biology of ctDNA and CTCs. As a principal investigator on NCI R01 grants, he aims to integrate ctDNA and other biomarkers to create accurate predictive models of response and outcomes in early-stage breast cancer. Additionally, he aims to develop methodologies to isolate and analyze CTCs in malignant effusions from metastatic breast cancer. The overarching objective of his research is to develop liquid biopsy tools to facilitate personalized medicine and improve patient outcomes.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Adrian Lee, UPMC
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Dennis J. Slamon, UCLA
• Arul M. Chinnaiyan, University of Michigan
Keynote: Molecular Diversity of Human Malignancies: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications
• Dennis J. Slamon, UCLA
Keynote: From Cancer Drivers to Clinical Decisions: Transforming Tumor Genomics
• Arul M. Chinnaiyan, University of Michigan
Serial ctDNA-Guided Therapy Switching (SERENA-6 & Beyond)
• Chair: Adrian Lee, UPMC
• Pedram Razavi, MSK
• Minetta Liu, Natera
• Emre Baser, Astrazeneca
• Christian Rolfo, Ohio State
Neoadjuvant to Adjuvant MRD: How Early Is Early Enough?
• Chair: Mark Magbanua, UCSF
• Halla Nimeiri, Tempus
• Aparna Parikh, Harvard
• Minetta Liu, Natera
• C. Ola Landgren, U Miami
• Christopher Lieu, U Colorado
Rapid MRD to Treatment Decisions: Standardized ctDNA at Scale
• Chair: Luca Quagliata, Thermo Fisher
• Christian Rolfo, Ohio State
Multi-Omics Monitoring Beyond Variants: Methylation, Fragmentomics, EV/ctRNA
• Chair: David T. Miyamoto, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Maximilian Diehn, Stanford
• Daniel De Carvalho, University of Toronto
• Luis Diaz, MSKCC
• Amar Das, Guardant Health
Improving Care with Every Test: Powering a Continuous Learning Cycle in Molecular Diagnostics
• Phil Febbo, Veracyte
Precision Engineering: Customizing High-Sensitivity ctDNA Assays for Therapy Guidance at Scale
• Siyuan Chen, Twist Bioscience
From Validation to Payment: Coverage Pathways That Work
• Chair: Mark Stewart, Friends of Cancer Research
• Hilary Gee Goeckner, American Cancer Society (ACS)
• Sally Werner, Cancer Support Community
• Gabriel A. Bien-Willner, Palmetto GBA
• Lucy Langer, UnitedHealthcare
