Speaker Profile
Ph.D., VP, Science Policy, Friends of Cancer Research
Biography
Mark Stewart works at Friends of Cancer Research, a Washington, DCbased organization that brings together partners across healthcare to drive advances in science, policy, and regulation that accelerate the development of cancer therapies and diagnostics. At Friends, he leads collaborative projects that create frameworks for incorporating novel clinical trial endpoints, advancing ctDNA and liquid biopsy applications, integrating real-world evidence, and applying innovative designs to make trials more efficient and representative. His work also explores emerging technologies such as AI-based tools to enhance oncology drug development, clinical trial design, and data interpretation. Through multi-stakeholder partnerships with regulators, academia, industry, and patient groups, he helps develop consensus-driven solutions that overcome barriers in drug development. These efforts have informed national policy discussions, contributed to regulatory innovation, and translated promising innovations into meaningful progress for people with cancer.
Talk
Session Abstract – PMWC 2027 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Razelle Kurzrock, Emory
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Antoni Ribas, UCLA Health (Luminary)
Featured Speakers
• Antoni Ribas, UCLA Health
• Gerold Meinhardt, Daiichi Sankyo
• Katy Rezvani, MD Anderson
• Javad Shahidi, BeOne
• Alicia Zhou, Cancer Research Institute
• Oren Gilad, Aprea Therapeutics
• Adam Palmer, UNC
• Trever Bivona, UCSF
• Laura Volta, Penn Medicine
• Vivek Subbiah, Stanford
• Mark Stewart, Friends of Cancer Research
Precision Immunotherapy After PD-1
Cells, bispecifics, ADCs, and new combination logic after checkpoint failure.
Biomarkers That Matter
Selecting patients for immunotherapy and targeted therapy with decision-grade biomarkers.
Resistance Biology & Adaptive Combination Strategies
How tumors adapt, and how to sequence therapy around that biology.
Which Immune Cells Can Be Programmed In Vivo?
The next wave of immune-cell engineering and where it may matter first.
Rare Cancers, Basket Trials & N-of-1 Playbooks
Moving from histology-agnostic evidence to individualized precision oncology.
PMWC Hall of Impact
Previous Speakers Include
Nobel laureates, technology founders, regulators, CEOs and scientific pioneers who have taken the PMWC stage.
