41st Annual Critical Issues in Tumor Microenvironment: Angiogenesis, Metastasis and Immunology

  • Continuing Education
image of course class - nov 2025.

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Registration Deadline: September 14

Explore the latest breakthroughs in tumor microenvironment research, and engage in dynamic online lectures and discussions designed to identify critical knowledge gaps, advance translational research, and accelerate improvements in cancer treatment.

  • Live Online

Continuing Education

Four Days

On This Page

Overview

The “41st Annual Critical Issues in Tumor Microenvironment: Angiogenesis, Metastasis and Immunology” course, directed by Professor Rakesh K. Jain, will continue to offer the best in critical analysis of what is currently known about the tumor microenvironment, including lectures covering: angiogenesis, metastasis, immunology, metabolism, microbiome, chronobiology, carcinoma-associated fibroblasts, cancer-neuroscience, adoptive cell therapies including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells, and integrating physical sciences and AI in oncology. The faculty is internationally recognized. They will present the latest findings from their laboratories and clinics. The goal of this course is to highlight key gaps in present knowledge of cancer and outline future directions for research at the bench and in the clinic.

The course will return to a four-day online format. Learning formats will include didactic lectures, trainee-led Q&A, and group discussions. The faculty will encourage an open discussion and will provide critical comments on challenges and future opportunities in research in cancer and in the establishment of novel therapeutic approaches and biomarkers to guide treatment. The aim of this course is to analyze and synthesize the most up-to-date findings. Our faculty will present valuable information in a systematic and comprehensive framework, along with a critical review of various measurement techniques. This course is dedicated to helping to improve clinical translation of this knowledge and competence, leading to improved cancer treatment.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify pharmacological approaches to normalize the tumor microenvironment, including tumor-associated blood vessels, fibroblasts, and the extracellular matrix.
  • Evaluate molecularly targeted agents approved or currently in clinical development in combination with immunotherapies for cancer treatment and incorporate them into practice.
  • Identify emerging determinants of immunotherapy outcomes, including blood vessels, fibroblasts, extracellular matrix, neuronal-tumor interactions, circadian cycle, microbiome, and discuss potential approaches to harness them.
  • Compare correlative studies of biomarkers and their response and resistance to immunotherapies in cancer patients.
  • Evaluate state-of-the-art genetic and imaging techniques and their applications in pre-clinical and clinical studies.
  • Assess relevant, state-of-the-art, or translational pre-clinical models of anti-cancer therapies for adult and pediatric malignancies.
  • Recognize the steps and determinants of the metastatic process of cancer.
  • Understand the applications of AI in cancer care and research.

Developed and Offered By:

  • Massachusetts General Hospital logo

Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Massachusetts General Hospital.

Who Should Participate

Primary Care Physicians, Specialty Physicians, Researchers, and Others

Faculty

Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.

 

Course Director

Lisa M. Coussens, PhD
Hildegard Lamfrom Chair in Basic Science; Professor and Chair, Cell and Developmental Biology Associate Director for Basic Research, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

Carl June, MD
Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Penn Medicine, Philadelphia PA, USA

Jonathan Kipnis, PhD
BJC Investigator, Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Wash U Medicine, St. Louis MO, USA.

Hideho Okada, MD, PhD
Professor, Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco CA, USA

Arlene Sharpe, MD, PhD
Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard University; Chair of the Department of Immunology at Harvard Medical School
Leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
Vice Director of the Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA.

George Sledge, MD
Adjunct Clinical Professor, Medicine and Oncology, Stanford Medicine, Stanford CA, USA

Mario L. Suva, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Associate Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Co-Director, Cancer Program, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA, USA.

Giorgio Trinchieri, MD
Head of Cancer Immunology Section, Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, NIH

David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD
Professor and Director, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA

Eliezer Van Allen, MD
Chief, Division of Population Sciences, Chandra Nohria Family Chair for AI in Cancer Research, Physician, Associate Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School. 

Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD
Scientific director, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Cancer Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Associate Director, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA

Robert Wechsler-Reya, PhD
H. Houston Merritt Professor of Neurological Sciences, Scientific Director of Brain Tumor Research, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA

Robert A. Weinberg, PhD
Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Director of the Ludwig Center of the MIT, and American Cancer Society Research Professor

Frank Winkler, MD, PhD
Full Professor for Neuro-Oncology, Heidelberg University
Managing Senior Physician, Department. of Neurology, University Clinic
Group Leader, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg

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Course Fees

Registration Details

You may register through our secure online environment and will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment. Prices include CME credit, electronic syllabus, and most of the recordings are available for up to 30 days after the course ends. At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration. 

Review the cancellation policy.

Early Registration Deadline:

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Harvard Medical School is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

The Harvard Medical School designates this Live Virtual for a maximum of 21.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For the purpose of recertification, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and American Nurses Credentialing Center accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education). We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the European Union of Medical Specialties website.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.

Registration for courses managed by Harvard Medical School can only be completed through Harvard Medical School’s official registration portal: cmeregistration.hms.harvard.edu. Attendee registrations made through any other sites cannot be honored and will not be refunded. Please report any unauthorized websites or solicitations for registrations.

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