21/04/2026
We’re excited to unveil our first keynote speaker for the upcoming BioGENext Conference 2026!
Dr. Prof. Michael Nishimura (Loyola University Chicago) is a prominent figure in the cancer immunology field. In the spotlight of his study is the genetic engineering of T cells to target tumors. He obtained his PhD in Cancer Immunology from University of Maryland Baltimore County and got a postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, where his main scientific career path comes from – the study of the T-cell receptors (TCR).
In tumor immunology, the TCR is the primary mechanism by which the adaptive immune system identifies and attacks tumor cells. Mechanistically, the binding of a TCR to a compatible major histocompatibility complex (MHC) triggers T-cell activation and proliferation, leading to the destruction of tumors.
Dr. Nishimura was among the first to clone and characterize TCR genes that recognize human tumor antigens and use them to engineer T cells.
The Nishimura lab investigates the relationship between TCR genetics and T-cell function, as well as the interactions between TCRs, tumor cells, and viral antigens. Their research encompasses both fundamental studies and a "bench-to-bedside" approach. Dr Nishimura and his colleagues developed an impressive method for engineering T cells from any patient to express TCR genes isolated from tumor-reactive T-cell clones. Notably, these genetically modified T cells are capable of recognizing tumors both in vitro and in vivo.
Thus, TCR therapy makes it possible to use a patient's own T cells, specifically reprogrammed to target their malignancies.
Thorough research conducted by Nishimura’s group has led to three clinical trials and 28 patients treated with gene modified T cells.
Dr. Nishimura joins us at the BioGENext Conference 2026 as a keynote speaker, preparing an insightful lecture on the development of CAR-T/TCR-based therapeutic approaches to treat cancer patients!
👉 Register now and be part of the conversation shaping the future of biomedical research: https://biogenext.org/
We encourage you to read some of his papers to be primed for the upcoming lecture:
1. Wu Y, Tian L, Pugel A, Alimohammadi R, Cheng Q, Cui W, Nishimura MI, Ball LE, Lin CW, Mehrotra S, Kraft AS, Yu XZ. Targeting PIM2 improves antitumor immunity through promoting effector function and persistence of CD8 T cells. J Clin Invest. 2026 Jan 27;136(6):e192928.
doi: 10.1172/JCI192928
2. Barisic S, Brahmbhatt EM, Cherkasova E, Spear TT, Savani U, Pierre S, Scurti GM, Chen L, Igboko M, Nadal R, Zeng G, Parry G, Stroncek DF, Highfill S, Dalheim AV, Reger R, Nishimura MI, Childs RW. Regression of renal cell carcinoma by T cell receptor-engineered T cells targeting a human endogenous retrovirus. J Immunother Cancer. 2024 Sep 11;12(9):e009147.
doi: 10.1136/jitc-2024-009147
3. Quinn S, Lenart N, Dronzek V, Scurti GM, Hossain NM, Nishimura MI. Genetic Modification of T Cells for the Immunotherapy of Cancer. Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Mar 16;10(3):457.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines10030457
Stay tuned! More speakers are coming soon!
