Cancer Research Day 2026
Register for Cancer Research Day Submit abstract
Hosted by the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR), Cancer Research Day is Purdue’s premier annual gathering of the cancer research community. This flagship event brings together faculty, postdoctoral researchers, students and trainees from across disciplines to share discoveries, foster collaboration and celebrate advances in cancer research.
Keynote speaker
The 2026 event will feature keynote speaker Alex Toker, professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School, whose research has helped define how the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway drives cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. His keynote lecture will explore how oncogenic PI3K/AKT signaling rewires cancer cell metabolism to reveal new therapeutic vulnerabilities and emerging strategies for targeting difficult-to-treat cancers.
Alex Toker is a professor in the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and associate director of the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Abstract submission
Trainees are encouraged to submit abstracts for the poster session and share their latest research with Purdue’s cancer research community. Three trainees will be selected to receive the Excellence in Trainee Research Award and present their research during the Cancer Research Day program.
Registration and abstract submission are now open.
Deadlines
The deadline to submit an abstract is October 21.
Event program
The day’s agenda will include:
- Distinguished keynote presentation
- Scientific poster session
- Excellence in Research Presentation Awardees will deliver oral presentations
- Networking opportunities with researchers across Purdue’s cancer research community