Professor
Dr. Timothy Fan is a professor of veterinary medical oncology and serves as the principal investigator of the Comparative Oncology Research Laboratory housed in the Small Animal Clinic, Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine. Dr. Fan’s research focuses on identifying molecular and immunotherapeutic targets for improving treatment for canine and feline cancers.
Dr. Fan is a core member at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology in the Anticancer Discovery from Pets to People theme, and also serves as the Associate Director for Translational Research and Development for the Cancer Center at Illinois that focuses on the inclusion of companion animals as sophisticated model systems to study cancer. Dr. Fan’s training as a scientist and veterinarian, has allowed him the opportunity to rapidly investigate and translate novel treatment strategies in dogs and cats with spontaneously-arising cancers, and conduct meaningful comparative oncology research which is hoped to eventually aid in treating cancer in not only companion animals, but also human beings.
Immunotherapy Strategies for Improving Cancer Treatments
This session will review how the immune system works to protect the host organism and how immunotherapy can be leveraged for fighting against cancer. Attendees will be refamiliarized with what immune cells are most important in fighting cancer, strategies that are being developed to enhance immunotherapy activities, and learn about the newest immune strategies that are in development for the treatment of dogs and cats with cancer.