Toshio Suda is an MD from Yokohama City University School of Medicine. He was Professor of the Department of Cell Differentiation at Kumamoto University School of Medicine, now he is Professor of Developmental Biology at Keio University. Toshio Suda and others identified the niche for hematopoietic stem cells and subsequently established the new field of oxidative stress and stem cell aging. The interaction of stem cells and niche is one of hot topics for the stem cell and cancer biology.

1. Manipulation of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche for the ex vivo expansion of HSCs 2. Elucidation of niche involvement in the pathophysiology of hematopoietic malignancies along with the identification of molecular targets of diseases. 3. Identification of stemness-related cis-regulatory elements 4. Establishment of human stem cell niche in immunodeficient mouse

Vladimir Tolstikov, Ph.D., is Director of Metabolomics at BERG. He received B.S. and M.S in Organic Chemistry in 1977 from M.V. Lomonosov Institute of Fine Chemical Technology, in Moscow, Russia. He received Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1983 from the Institute of Chemical Means for Plant Protection, Moscow, Russia. He is a pioneer in HILIC separations development applied to Metabolomics. During his career he was working in leading research institutions in USA, Germany, Hungary and Russian Federation. He has joined Eli Lilly and Company in 2012. He is author contributor and participant of 45 conferences, 5 book chapters, and 54 articles

Metabolomics, Systems Biology

Houkai Li has completed his PhD at the age of 32 years from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Postdoctoral studies from University of North Carolina (2011.8-2013.5) and Chinese Academy Sciences (2008.11-2011.3) respectively. He is now a Professor at Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine and Systems Biology in Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He has published over 22 papers in reputed journals.

Metabolomics and Systems Biology

Ching-Wan Lam obtained his MBChB from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1991 and FRCPA in 1997 from The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia with a double scope of practice in Chemical Pathology and Genetics. He is a Fellow of The Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists’. He obtained his PhD in 2000 from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He obtained FRCP(Glas) from The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 2012.
Ching-Wan Lam is a chemical pathologist with 20 years experiences in inherited metabolic disease and has over 160 publications on this subject. His research interests include various aspects of inherited metabolic diseases and genetic testing. For example, he identified the MECP2 gene, the first disease gene for non-syndromic infantile autism. The locus is called AUTSX3 (AUTISM, X-LINKED, SUSCEPTIBILITY TO, 3; MIM ID #300496). This work has been incorporated in the formulation of an international guideline for etiologic diagnosis of autism, i.e, The American College of Medical Genetics 2013 clinical practice guideline.
He identified the SMOOTHENED gene to be the driver gene in sporadic medulloblastomas. This work has provided important leads for development of SMOOTHENED inhibitor Vismodegibs. He also identified a new pharmacogenetic disease in which valproate, a first-line anti-epilepsy drug, can trigger onset of Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy with Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like episodes (MELAS). This work has lead to a change in clinical practice that valproate is now contraindicated to patients with mitochondrial DNA disease by Food and Drug Administration (FDA),The United States of America
Ching-Wan Lam is The Editor, Clinical Chimica Acta, an official journal of The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

The elucidation of the molecular basis of inherited human diseases through the identification of disease-causing genes. The development of molecular diagnostics through the identification of the mutation spectrum of disease-causing genes. Provides an effective DNA-based diagnostic protocol suitable for the 1.3-billion Chinese populations worldwide.

Dr. Alan Prem Kumar, Bsc., Msc., Ph.D. serves as Member of Scientific Advisory Board and Member of Business Development Advisory Board at GenoMed, Inc. Following his postdoctoral years, Dr. Kumar joined the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore as an independent Principal Investigator to continue on his expertise on nuclear receptor and cancer biology. From a commercialization perspective, he co-filed a patent on a new potent PPARgamma ligand for treatment of diabetes and cancer. Dr. Kumar has also successfully set up a Singapore-USA collaboration agreement (covering patent issues as well) for another 16 new derivatives drugs - activators and inhibitors of PPARgamma for treatment of diabetes and cancer, thence to a clinical trial here in Singapore. In addition, he has also set up research collaboration between NUS and his collaborator in the USA to identify new synthetic ligands for HNF4alpha and PPARdelta for translation into the clinic. Over the years, Dr. Kumar and his laboratory have forged several relationships with scientists in cancer research and with cancer advocacy groups in Singapore. Dr. Kumar then made a research focus switch from Microbiology to pursue Postdoctoral training in Cancer Research at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, California, USA with Dr. Wanda Reynolds. He was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship for his work on the role of nuclear receptors in the transcriptional regulation of human myeloperoxidase, a leukocyte enzyme implicated as causative agent in atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Kumar earned his BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from University of North Texas, USA. From his Ph.D. work, he discovered a novel regulatory protein, PyrR for the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway in Pseudomonas.

Diabetes and cancer are common diseases among adults worldwide. New research shows that both hyperinsulinaemia and hyperglycemia, characteristics of type 2 diabetes, are major risk factors for a number of cancer-promotes tumor development. My area of research focuses on exploring the role of nuclear receptors, such as PPARs (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors), ERα, HNF4α, and DEAD-box RNA helicases in the prevention and treatment of cancer and diabetes.

Paul M. Yen is Professor at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore and Head of the Laboratory of Hormonal Regulation in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Program. He obtained his M.D. from Johns Hopkins, completed his residency in internal medicine at University of Chicago and his endocrinology fellowship at NIH. Prior to Duke-NUS he served on the faculty at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and as section chief at NIDDK, NIH. He has served on the editorial boards of Endocrinology, Molecular Endocrinology, and Thyroid. His current research interests are hormonal regulation of hepatic autophagy and lipid metabolism in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as well as epigenetic regulation of metabolic genes by thyroid hormone.

Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders

Takao Shimizu graduated from Medical School at the University of Tokyo, and took postgraduate course at Kyoto University and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm. He was appointed as an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Nutrition, in 1984, and a full professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1991. He served as a Dean of Medical School at the University of Tokyo since 2007, and Vice President of the University since 2011. He is currently a professor of the University of Tokyo (Lipidomics laboratory), and director of National Center for Global Health and Medicine (lipid signaling).

Lipid mediators. Knockout mouse study. Phospholipid metabolism. Lipidomics. LC-MS

Shazib Pervaiz obtained his medical degree (M.B.B.S.) in 1985 from King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan, and his Ph.D. in 1992 from Southern Methodist University and Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX. He was a fellow in the department of Pathology and later at the Cancer Center at Harvard Medical School/MGH, Boston, MA from 1992-96. Following a short stint at Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cambridge, MA, he joined the National University of Singapore, Singapore, where he currently holds a Full Professorship in the department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He has held various leadership positions at the YLL School of Medicine, such as Vice Dean (Research and Graduate Education) and Director, National University Medical Institutes (2003- 06). Dr. Pervaiz also holds a joint professorship at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore and is a member of the Duke-NUS Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program. He is also an affiliate member of the National University Cancer Institute, NUHS, Singapore, and is a senior faculty at the NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering and the Singapore-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Alliance. Dr. Pervaiz has also served on the scientific advisory board of Behring Diagnostics, Inc., Westwood, MA (1995-96) and more recently of AutoGenomics Inc., Carlsbad, CA and CellWorks Group Inc., San Jose, CA.

Cross talk between mitochondria and caspase in apoptotic signaling -Regulation of apoptosis by Reactive Oxygen Species -Regulation of death signaling by Bcl-2 family -Oncogenic signaling and reactive oxygen species -Inflammation and cancer -Photoactivation: novel modality for drug discovery

Simona Di Francesco is the Director of Urological, Biomedical and Translational Sciences Department. People's University Nicolaus Copernicus , Cassino (RM) ,Italy 2014 M.D , PhD. People's University Nicolaus Copernicus , Cassino (RM) ,Italy 2014 PhD Degree in Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Surgery (CEMS), School of Advanced Studies , Department of Medicine and Aging, University “G. D’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara. Doctoral Thesis : Metabolic Alterations and Vascular Damage in Prostate Cancer. 2012 AWARD-PIERRE FABRE-CIFU, Italian Society of Urology. 2012 Project Planning Course , G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, School of Advanced Studies. 2012 Advanced English Course For Special Purposes. G. D’annunzio University. School of Advanced Studies. 2012 Course Of Scientific English "Writing Across Science”, G. D’annunzio University, School of Advanced Studies, Nazareth College. 2011 Course Scientific English - Uda-Learning , G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara. 2010 Specialization in Urology, G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, with maximum marks cum laude. 2009 Specialization in Internist Echography, G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara. 2004 Urostage: Kidney , Prostate, Urinary Bladder. University “G. D’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara, Department of Medicine and Aging, Section of Urology. 2001 XIV International Course of Digestive and Endocrine Surgery. University “G. D’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara, School of Medicine and Surgery, Italy. 2001-2002 M.D, G.D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Medicine and Surgery.

Simona Di Francesco research interest is in Urological Cancer and Immunology, Prostate and Immunology, Bladder and Immunology, Kidney and Immunology.