Speaker Profile
PMWC LUMINARY AWARD
Pioneered the clinical use of ctDNA to monitor treatment response, detect residual disease, and anticipate cancer relapse.
M.D., Ph.D., Professor, U. of Melbourne
Biography
Professor Sarah-Jane Dawson is a clinician-scientist. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Melbourne in 1998, and trained as a medical oncologist in Melbourne, Australia.
She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK. Following postdoctoral studies at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, she returned to Melbourne in 2014 to head the Molecular Biomarkers and Translational Genomics Laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She also holds a joint appointment with the Centre of Cancer Research at The University of Melbourne (since 2016) and currently holds a CSL Centenary Fellowship (2018-2022).
She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and was recipient of the Jian Zhou Medal in recognition of translational medical science in 2020.
Her current research interests are focused on the development of noninvasive blood-based biomarkers ('liquid biopsies') for clinical application, including early detection, risk stratification and disease monitoring in cancer management.
Talk
CtDNA for precision medicine: Going beyond the cancer genome
Cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has proven to be an important biomarker for monitoring adaptive changes to cancer therapies. I will provide an overview of ctDNA approaches that are providing an opportunity to track both genomic evolution and transcriptional changes in real-time to improve our understanding of the mechanisms leading to molecular resistance in cancer.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2027 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Emre Baser, AstraZeneca
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Max Diehn, Stanford (Pioneer)
• Sarah-Jane Dawson, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre / University of Melbourne (Luminary)
Featured Speakers
• Max Diehn, Stanford
• Sarah-Jane Dawson, University of Melbourne
• Phil Febbo, Veracyte
• Ash Alizadeh, Stanford
• Adrian Lee, University of Pittsburgh
• Emre Baser, AstraZeneca
• Keith Flaherty, Mass General
• Thomas Powles, Barts Cancer Institute
Early-Stage Cancer: Can MRD Decide Who Needs More Treatment?
When ctDNA should change escalation, de-escalation, and surveillance.
Advanced Cancer Monitoring
Detecting response, resistance, and relapse early enough to switch therapy.
From Blood to Drug
Liquid biopsy for therapy selection and matching patients to the right intervention.
Integrating Tissue, Liquid & Imaging Biomarkers
How multimodal monitoring should work in real oncology care.
MRD as a Surrogate Endpoint
The promise and hazards of using MRD to accelerate drug approval.
PMWC Hall of Impact
Previous Speakers Include
Nobel laureates, technology founders, regulators, CEOs and scientific pioneers who have taken the PMWC stage.
