International Symposium on Head and Neck Tumours

The Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, hosted an International symposium on head and neck tumors- Translation from cancer biology to Cancer medicine on October 3^rd and 4^th 2015.

Day One: October 3^rd 2015

Inaugural function

Dr H Vinod Bhat, Vice Chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education was the chief guest for the function. In his address to the delegates he urged that identification of novel biomarkers for prognostication of oral cancers should be carried forth to benefit the community.

The guest of honor and resource person was Dr Mark William Lingen, Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Chicago. He has dedicated his profession to the prevention and early detection of oral cancers. He directs a dynamic research lab at the University of Chicago, This lab has cloned NOL7, a novel gene that induces an anti-angiogenic phenotype and suppresses in vivo tumor growth by 95%. NOL7 acts as a master regulator of angiogenesis.  The outcome of this research is expected to provide new therapeutic avenues for targeting angiogenesis in both physiologic and pathologic conditions.

Scientific Session:

 Guest lectures

·         Targeting angiogenesic phenotype for the prevention of oral cancer- Dr Mark W Lingen

·         Oral Carcinogenesis- Keeping it simple- Dr Malathi N , Head, Department of Oral Pathology, Sri Ramchandran dental College, Chennai

·         Oral screening adjunctive tests; Current realities and future opportunities- Dr Mark W Lingen

 Scientific Poster presentation: Faculty Poster:41, Student Posters: 47

Day Two – October 4^th 2015

Guest Lectures

·         Biospecimens: a critical aspect of translational research- Dr Mark W Lingen

·         Exfoliated oral mucosal genotoxic indicators as potential biomarkers for oral carcinogenesis- Dr B S Satish Rao, Head Department of Radiobiology and Toxicology

·         Intra- Operative frozen section for margin assessment in Oral cancer: Does it have an impact on surgical outcome- Dr Gabriel Sunil Rodrigues

Scientific Poster presentations: 55

The symposium was well attended by 250 oral pathologists, anatomists, oral surgeons and oral medicine specialists.