Identification of Novel Biomarker Candidates for Early Detection of Melanoma

Dr. Margaret Hoang is a Senior Scientist and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Technical Lead at Nanostring Technologies. She applies her expertise in Cancer Genomics and NGS in the development of the GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP) sequencing readout capability. Prior to Nanostring, she was a Post-doctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine characterizing mutational signatures induced by environmental mutagens in urothelial cancers. Margaret received her B.S. in Biochemistry from University of Washington and Ph.D. in Biology from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Maija Kiuru is a dual board-certified practicing dermatologist and dermatopathologist and a physician-scientist at University of California, Davis. Dr. Kiuru received her MD degree and PhD in medical genetics from the University of Helsinki, Finland. Her thesis on hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) established the association between aggressive renal cell carcinoma, uterine fibroids, and cutaneous leiomyomas and identified the predisposing germline mutation in FH gene. She continued her research training as a postdoctoral fellow at Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University in New York. This research culminated in the discovery of PLCD1 mutations in hereditary leukonychia, revealing a new gene in nail biology, and identifying novel stem cell therapies for hereditary skin blistering disorders. Dr. Kiuru received her clinical training in dermatology and dermatopathology at Weill Cornell Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Dr. Kiuru's research focuses on genetics of familial skin disorders and cutaneous tumors. As a practicing dermatopathologists and dermatologist, one of her aims include identification of molecular markers of early melanomagenesis to improve diagnostic accuracy of melanocytic tumors. She is the recipient of NIH K23 and NIH K12 Career Development Awards, and the Dermatology Foundation Career Development Award in Dermatopathology. Dr. Kiuru has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, review articles, and book chapters, including in journals such as Nature Genetics, Nature Reviews Cancer, PNAS, Cancer Research, Cell Stem Cell, and American Journal of Human Genetics, and has lectured at many national and international meetings.