News | Judith Tam ALK Lung Cancer Research Initiative

October 16, 2026: Drs. Sofia Merajver and Evelyn Jiagge Reunite at BCRF

Dr. Sofia Merajver reconnected with her former Ph.D. student and postdoctoral mentee, Dr. Evelyn Jiagge, at BCRF’s 2026 “Saving Lives” event. Now a physician-scientist at Henry Ford Health, Dr. Jiagge leads research into aggressive breast cancers and the genetic factors that contribute to disparities in cancer outcomes.

October 16, 2026: Breast Cancer Research Foundation's (BCRF) 2026 “Saving Lives” Event

Dr. Sofia Merajver attended the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s 2026 “Saving Lives” event and joined the Delta Team at the luncheon, connecting with experts and members of the breast cancer community in support of lifesaving research and improved patient outcomes worldwide.

October 11, 2026: Dr. Sofia Merajver Shared Her Expertise in Washington Post Article

As genetic testing has become more sophisticated, oncologists and gynecologists worry that a generation of women don’t know how much they could benefit from the advances that have been made. “There are probably thousands of individuals out there who need to be retested,” said Sofia Merajver, medical director of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk Evaluation Program. Versha Pleasant, director of the Cancer Genetics and Breast Health Program, said “if you’ve only been tested for BRCA1 and 2, you only have part of the story. You don’t have the full picture and you don’t have a comprehensive understanding of what this person’s risk may be.”

Read the Full Article: Women once cleared by genetic tests for cancer risks now consider retesting - The Washington Post

September 15, 2026: JTARI Visits Seoul—Science, Teamwork, and a Night on the Water at IASLC WCLC

JTARI team members brought their research—and team spirit—to Seoul for the 2026 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer World Conference on Lung Cancer (IASLC WCLC). Albana Grajqevci and Dr. Nathan Merrill presented accepted posters, while Dr. Yusoo Lee took the stage for a mini oral presentation. The Team also reconnected with longtime collaborator Dr. Kwon Joong Na and his mentee before enjoying Seoul’s nighttime skyline during an evening boat ride.

April 09, 2026: Welcome Dr. Collin Blakely, MD, PhD

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Collin Blakely, MD, PhD, as one of the newest members of our Scientific Advisory Board!

Dr. Blakely is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of lung cancer. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Washington and attended the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in the Medical Scientist Training Program. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and trained as a clinical fellow in Medical Oncology at UCSF.

His research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying lung cancer resistance to EGFR- and ALK-targeted therapies and identifying new targets for molecular-directed therapies. His goal is to translate laboratory-based findings into new treatments for lung cancer patients.

April 07, 2026: Welcome Dr. Misako Nagasaka, MD, PhD

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Misako Nagasaka, MD, PhD, as one of the newest members of our Scientific Advisory Board!

Dr. Nagasaka is an Associate Clinical Professor of Thoracic Oncology in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Beth Israel Medical Center and her Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Her clinical and research interests include molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy for thoracic malignancies, with a particular focus on medical ethics. Dr. Nagasaka has authored 160+ publications, including work in The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Journal of Thoracic Oncology. She has served as site principal investigator for 20+ interventional clinical trials and as a sub-investigator on additional studies, and she actively collaborates with researchers nationally and internationally.

My fellows know that I always like to ask about what my patients enjoy doing, as I like to come up with a personalized plan. I’m excited to chat with you all during our upcoming discussions.

Dr. Misako Nagasaka, MD, PhD

October 26, 2025: Dr. Angel Qin MD., rejoined ALK Positive’s video series, ALKtALK, for an in-depth discussion with host Mark Rosenzweig about two Gilteritinib clinical trials and their significance for the ALK+ community.

March 07, 2025: Project 1 – Team training on a new instrument to enrich for live cells- allowing us to improve the quality of patient-derived material and study cells that survive therapy.

November 20, 2024: Genprex Signs Exclusive License to Additional Gene Therapy Technologies with the University of Michigan for the Treatment of Lung Cancer

July 11, 2024: The Science and Research Communications team at ASCO announced they will highlight Dr. Sofia Merajver's 2024 ASCO Breakthrough abstract 215, “Precision medicine-based platform to guide the treatment of EML4-ALK driven lung cancers and other NSCLC in real time” at the ASCO Breakthrough Conference in Yokohama (August 10 - 24, 2024).

October 25th, 2025: Dr. Ananya Banerjee attended the AACR-NCI-EORTC Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics conference in Boston, MA. This photo shows Dr. Banerjee with Dr. Mark Berger (Chief Medical Officer of Genprex, on the left) and Dr. Kenneth Culver (Director of Research and Clinical Affairs of ALK Positive, on the right).

September 19, 2025:  Dr. Sofia Merajver attended the MGI Annual Symposium and presented Judith Tam ALK Lung Cancer Research Initiative, ATLAS, and MGI: the path to precision oncology.

September 6 - 9, 2025:  Drs. Sofia Merajver and Angel Qin attended the World Lung Conference in Barcelona, Spain. This photo shows Dr. Merajver at the conference with Advocate Seamus Cotter and Dr. R. Katayama.

ALK Summit 2025

• July 18-20, 2025:  Drs. Sofia Merajver and Angel Qin attended the 2025 ALK+ Summit.
• July 18-20, 2025:  Members of the ALK Initiative team—including LiWei Bao, Sraboni Chaudhury, Ali Dabaja, Hassan Zbib, Mary Horn, Avery Rudnick, and Dr. Sofia Merajver—travel to the ALK Positive Summit in San Diego, CA, to lead and advance groundbreaking on-site blood collection for research.

Unlock the Summit: Watch All Expert Talks and Insights from the ALK Positive Summit.

March 12, 2025: Dr. Merajver attended the farewell reception for her great friend and collaborator in computational biology, Dr Jun Li, also fellow physicist. Dr. Lin will be the new Chair for the Department of Computational Genomics and genetics at the University of Oklahoma. Good luck and Godspeed Jun, and onwards to great discoveries for humanity.

February 19-22, 2025: Drs. Merajver and Qin attend the IASLC 2025 Targeted Therapies of Lung Cancer Meeting in Huntington Beach, CA. Dr. Merajver is pictured with a dear friend and indefatigable advocate for patients with ALK lung cancer.

November 13 - 16, 2024: Drs. Sunitha Nagrath and Ananya Banerjee attended AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Liquid Biopsy: From Discovery to Clinical Implementation in San Diego, CA.

October 16-18 2024: Dr. Sofia Merajver attended The Molecular Analysis for Precision Oncology Congress 2024 in London, UK. At a poster session, she presented Precision medicine drug testing platform to guide the treatment of EML4-ALK fusion lung cancers.  

September 13-17, 2024: Dr. Sofia Merajver attends the ESMO 2024 conference in Barcelona, Spain and met with ALK Positive Advocates. 

August 09, 2024: Dr. Sofia Merajver stands by the ALK Initiative poster 2024 ASCO Breakthrough abstract 215, “Precision medicine-based platform to guide the treatment of EML4-ALK driven lung cancers and other NSCLC in real time” at the ASCO Breakthrough Conference in Yokohama (August 10 - 24, 2024) Abstracts & Posters | ASCO Breakthrough

ALK Summit 2024

• July 20, 2024: Dr. Angel Qin participates in the Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Panel w/ Case-based segments and Asks the Experts Breakout Session at the ALK Positive Summit in Nashville, TN. ALK Summit 2024 — ALK POSITIVE
• July 19-20, 2024: ALK Initiative team members Stacy Fry, Mary Horn, Habib Serhan, LiWei Bao, and Dr. Sofia Merajver travel out to the ALK Positive Summit in Nashville, TN, to host an unprecedented in-field research blood collection.

April 10, 2024:  Hamadi Madhi and Habib Serhan discuss variable ALK NSCLC therapeutic strategies at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024.

April 10, 2024: ALK Initiative researchers present JTARI progress at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego, CA.

March 20, 2024: ALK Initiative Retreat; Team meets at UM North Campus Research Complex to discuss publications, project goals, and future directions.

October 17, 2023: Dr. Sofia Merajver (pictured with Delta Airlines CEO Mr. Ed Bastian) at the Delta-Breast Cancer Research Foundation Town Hall, which took place at Delta World Headquarters in Atlanta. Dr. Merajver spoke about her research and answered questions from Delta employees who are cancer survivors. Mr. Bastian's father suffered and died from non-smokers lung cancer. Sofia explained how her team is putting all the advances they have achieved in breast and other cancers to improve our understanding of lung cancer.

October 16-17, 2023: Dr. Angel Qin (pictured second row from bottom; second from left) meets with colleagues at the 2023 LUNGevity Fall Science Meeting to discuss breakthroughs in lung oncology and the future of the field.

August 7, 2023: Drs. Sofia Merajver and Nathan Merrill meet with researchers at the National Cancer Center East in Tokyo, Japan.

ALK Summit 2023

• July 23, 2023: Dr. Angel Qin presents at the ALK Summit at 9:15-10:00 AM: University of Michigan Initiative, Defining the molecular aspects of ALK-positive NSCLC to find new treatments.

Uniting Voices: Dr. Angel Qin and ALK Patient Jeff Sturm Explore U-M’s Groundbreaking Initiative.

June 2, 2023: Dr. Sofia Merajver and Dr. Vincent Lam (Johns Hopkins) meet at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting 

ALK Summit 2022

• July 30, 2022: Dr. Sofia Merajver, Dr. Angel Qin, and Dr. Shirish Gadgeel present at ALK Positive Summit 2022.

Pioneering Personalized Treatments: U-M Highlights from the ALK Positive Summit 2022!ive Summit 2022!