Andrew B. Lassman, M.D.

Andrew B. Lassman, MD, is the John Harris Associate Professor of Neurology and the Chief of Neuro-oncology at Columbia University. After earning BS and MS degrees in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry as part of a combined 4-year program at Yale University, he received his MD from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Lassman subsequently completed his residency at the Neurological Institute of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he then joined the faculty and served as fellowship director.

In November 2011, Dr. Lassman became Chief of Neuro-Oncology at Columbia University Medical Center, and also serves as the Medical Director for the Clinical Protocol Data Management Office of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Lassman received the Preuss Award in Neuro-Oncology from the American Academy of Neurology, the Boyer Clinical Research Award from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Gary Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award from Voices Against Brain Cancer.

Lisa M. DeAngelis, M.D.

Lisa M. DeAngelis, MD, is the Chair of the Department of Neurology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), where she holds the Lillian Rojtman Berkman Chair in honor of Dr. Jerome Posner and is also the co-executive director of the MSKCC Brain Tumor Center. Dr. DeAngelis received her MD from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, completed her residency at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), and fellowships in Neuro-Oncology at CUMC and MSKCC. In 1997, Dr. DeAngelis became the Chair of the Department of Neurology at MSKCC.

Dr. DeAngelis has been a major contributor to therapeutic trials of glioma patients. Studying all grades and subtypes, she has investigated the role of small molecule inhibitors, anti-angiogenic therapy and molecular profiling in gliomas. Dr. DeAngelis also pioneered the study of primary CNS lymphoma, studying its biology, clinical features, response to treatment and its optimal therapy.

Dr. DeAngelis is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and of the American Neurological Association where she served as the first vice president. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the AAN and recently completed two terms as vice-president. She has been the chair of the Science Committee since 2011 and continues to serve in that capacity. Dr. DeAngelis has received awards for her work, including the 2009 Gary Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award from Voices Against Brain Cancer. In 2012, Dr. DeAngelis was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Jody Mason., BSc, Ph.D.

Jody M. Mason, BSc, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry in the department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Bath, U.K. His research interests center on the employment of peptide-based libraries to identify stable and specific antagonists of key protein-protein interactions that are implicated in disease pathways. Dr Mason has authored over 40 papers as well as book chapters and patents in the area of protein folding and interaction.

Dr. Mason earned his degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol, U.K. in 1997. In 2001, he completed a Ph.D. in protein folding at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Bristol under the supervision of the late Professor Tony Clarke. Postdoctoral research at the University of Manchester focused on amyloid aggregation inhibitors with Professor Andrew Doig. He has since worked at the Universities of Freiburg, Germany and Essex, U.K. Since 2015 Dr. Mason is an Associate Professor at the University of Bath. Funding towards Dr. Mason's research has included a Career Establishment Award from Cancer Research UK, in addition to major funding from the Wellcome Trust, and Alzheimer's Research U.K. He is a member of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) pool of experts and the Alzheimer's Research U.K. Grant Review Board.

Praveen Raju, M.D., Ph.D.

Praveen B. Raju, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and the Caryl & Israel A. Englander Clinical Scholar in Children's Health at Weill Cornell Medical College and Assistant Attending Pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is board certified in Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology.

Dr. Raju completed his MD in 2001 at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he also completed his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology / Genetics. He served as a resident in Pediatrics at Babies & Children's Hospital of New York / Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and subsequently finished his Pediatric Neurology Fellowship training at Children's Hospital, Boston / Harvard Medical School in 2006 where he served as Chief Fellow during his final year. Prior to joining the Weill Cornell Medical College faculty, Dr. Raju was a Fellow of the Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP) at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Raju directs the Laboratory for Childhood Brain Tumor Research at Weill Cornell Medical College and studies the developmental origins of pediatric brain tumors including medulloblastoma, atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT), pediatric glioma, and brainstem glioma and their respective relationships to developmental signal transduction pathways. Through the utilization of sophisticated mouse genetics techniques, Dr. Raju and his team are creating new and improved preclinical models of these childhood brain tumors to better understand their biology, investigate novel treatment approaches, and identify treatment resistance mechanisms that can be translated back for use in patients.

Lloyd A. Greene, Ph.D.

Dr. Greene has been Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University for over 25 years and is the co-discoverer of the technology that Sapience Therapeutics licensed from Columbia University. Dr. Greene previously served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and New York University School of Medicine. His research interests include developmental neurobiology, brain cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. He has published over 280 papers and has trained over 60 students and post-doctoral fellows.

Dr. Greene earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego and carried out post-doctoral studies with Marshall Nirenberg at the NIH.

Dr. James Angelastro, Ph.D.

James Angelastro has been an Associate Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis for nearly 12 years. He is the co-discoverer of the intellectual property that Sapience Therapeutics licensed from Columbia University, and conducts cancer research with the goal of creating new therapies to promote regression and eradication of brain cancer. Dr. Angelastro's research endeavors received federal funding from the NIH as principal investigator along with Dr. Lloyd A. Greene as co-investigator. He is part of the UC Davis core graduate teaching in pharmacology/toxicology, and professional veterinary medicine education in receptor signaling and pharmacodynamics. Dr. Angelastro has authored 35 publications and 4 book chapters, and currently has 2 patents granted and 2 patents pending.

Dr. Angelastro earned his Ph.D. from University of California, Santa Barbara and conducted his postdoctoral research at Columbia University under Dr. Lloyd A. Greene.