B4D ARC Annual Research Symposium
2026 Boston University B4D-ARC Research Symposium on Novel Biomarker, Drug Discovery & Development, and Data Science
When: Monday, March 23, 2026, 1:00- 5:00 pm
(Food/drink and social networking followed the symposium from 5:00 to 6:00 pm)
Where: Boston University Medical Campus, EBRC (X) building, Room 714/715, 650 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118. (In person with Zoom option – Meeting ID: 920 7209 8495, Passcode: 689724)
RSVP here
Agenda:
1:00– 1:20 pm: Welcome Opening Remarks
Katya Ravid, PhD, DSc (Founding Director of Evans Center and IBRO, Barbara E. Corkey Professor of Medicine, Professor of Biochemistry, Biology, Health Sciences, Boston University)
1:05 – 1:20 pm: Introducing B4D-ARC – Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Drug Development: A Data Science Approach
Weining Lu, MD, MS (Lead Director of the B4D-ARC, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston Medical Center)
1:20– 1:55 pm: Keynote Lecture: “New microfluidic technology for detecting rare biomarkers in extracellular vesicles non-invasively.”
Shannon Stott, PhD
(Professor and Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Boston University Charles River Campus).
1:55 – 2:15 pm: Engineering Activity-Based Diagnostics for Precision Medicine
Liang Hao, PhD (Co-Director of the B4D-ARC, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Boston University Charles River Campus)
2:15 – 2:30 pm: From Lipid Metabolism to Precision Biomarkers: Research on Fatty Acid-Driven Cancer Migration and Potential Translational Applications in Circulating Tumor Cell Detection
Eddie Haotian Zhang (Research Assistant, Prof. Dr. Ji-Xin Cheng Group, BS in Biomedical Engineering, Class of 2027, College of Engineering, MD, Class of 2031, Modular Medical/Dental Integrated Curriculum (MMEDIC) program, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University)
2:30 – 2:45 pm: Break (coffee/tea/refreshments) brief
2:45 – 3:00 pm: Exploring a Target Engagement Biomarker for a Novel Therapeutic in Animal Models and Future Clinical Trials
Aarushi Dabas & Laura Dodd (Research Assistant, Prof. Dr. Weining Lu’s Group, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston Medical Center).
3:00 – 3:20 pm: Discovery of Novel Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Ocular and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Ambika Manhapra and Yug Oza (Research Assistants, Prof. Dr. Manju Subramanian’s Group, Department of Ophthalmology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston Medical Center, and University of Toronto, Canada)
3:20 – 3:35 pm: The Role of Eye Movements in Neuroprognostication of Comatose Cardiac Arrest Patients
Cameron Hill (M4 Medical Student, Class of 2027, Prof. Dr. Charlene Ong’s Group, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine)
3:35 – 3:55 pm: Applying Kidney Biopsy as an Imaging Biomarker Endpoint in a Clinical Trial Joel Henderson, MD, PhD (Co-Director of the B4D-ARC, Director of Renal Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Attending Pathologist, Boston Medical Center)
3:55 – 4:15 pm: Mechanism of CAR-T Cell Therapy in Autoimmune Diseases and Clinical Trials at Boston Medical Center
Hanni Menn-Josephy, MD (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Associate Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship, Boston Medical Center)
4:15 – 4:35 pm: AI Deep Learning-Based Digital Pathology Technology for Kidney Biopsy Diagnosis with Transmission Electron Microscopy Images
Aksel Laudon and Winston Tan (M4 and M1 Medical Students, Class of 2026 and 2029, Prof. Drs. Chao Zhang and Weining Lu’s Group, Department of Medicine, Data Science Core, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University Medical Campus, Boston Medical Center)
4:35 – 4:55 pm: Data Science and Knowledge Graph for Drug Repurposing
Huimin Cheng, PhD (Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health)
4:55 – 5:00 pm: Closing Remarks
Megan Bair-Merritt, MD, MSCE (Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer, Boston Medical Center Health System, Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Multi-PI, BU Clinical & Translational Science Institute)
5:00 – 6:00 pm: Food/drink and Social Networking
This B4D-ARC Symposium is co-sponsored by Boston University Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research (via the Department of Medicine, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine), Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Office (IBRO), Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, BU Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI), Boston University, Boston Medical Center.
