Oral Presentations 33: Cardiovascular 5
Tracks
Track 1
| Thursday, July 16, 2026 |
| 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Speaker
Mr Liam Griffiths
Phd Student
University Of Queensland
Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC) contributes to Trastuzumab-associated cardiotoxicity
9:00 AM - 9:15 AMBiography
Liam Griffiths is a researcher and former PhD student associated with the School of Biomedical Sciences and the Frazer Institute at The University of Queensland. His work has focused on cancer research and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC), specifically investigating melanoma heterogeneity and trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity.
Prof Canan G. Nebigil
Director Of Research
University of Strasbourg, Inserm Umr 1260
The Prokineticin/PKR1 Signaling Axis in Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity: Mechanisms/Biomarker potential/ Novel Cardioprotective Strategy
9:15 AM - 9:30 AMBiography
Dr. Canan Nebigil-Désaubry’s research program addresses fundamental and translational questions in cardiovascular biology by elucidating how G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) orchestrate heart development, cardiometabolic homeostasis, and disease. She has established a distinctive research line focused on serotonin and prokineticin signaling, positioning GPCRs as actionable therapeutic targets in cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. After completing her Pharm.D. and Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee, she trained with Robert Lefkowitz at Duke University, gaining advanced expertise in GPCR biology. She then served as a Senior Scientist at the NIH and IGBMC, France, before establishing her independent group at ESBS, CNRS Unite via a highly competitive ATIP-Avenir award. Currently, she is Research Director at CNRS and a member of the Laboratory of Excellence. Her team discovered the roles of serotonin 5-HT2B receptor and prokineticins in cardiac physiology and metabolism, identified the first non-peptide PKR1 agonist, and developed innovative cardiac organoid–tumor co-culture platforms to advance translational cardio-oncology research.
Prof Margaret Cunningham
Professor of Pharmacology
University of Strathclyde
Multi-level insights into connexin-43 alterations in doxorubicin cardiotoxicity
9:30 AM - 9:45 AMBiography
Maggie Cunningham is Professor of Pharmacology and Associate Dean (Learning Enhancement) in the Faculty of Science at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, where she also serves as Director of Biomolecular Sciences Programmes. Her education research is focused on reimagining pharmacology teaching through ethical, innovative, and inclusive approaches, particularly the development of low-cost alternatives to animal-based practical’s. This includes the design and development of a 3D-printed organ-on-chip laboratory practical that her team and collaborators have developed for pharmacology students at Strathclyde. This research is underpinned by a strong commitment to the principles of the 3Rs. Maggie is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Honorary Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS), Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and recipient of the BPS Rang Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching. She serves as Secretary of the IUPHAR Education Section (2023–2026) and is a member of the IUPHAR-Ed Core Concepts in Pharmacology Research Team. She leads the BPS-funded education project that she will demonstrate as part of the IUPHAR Education Innovation Showcase.
Dr Miles De Blasio
Senior Research Fellow, Group Leader
Monash University
HDAC inhibitor tasquinimod limits diabetes induced cardiomyopathy
9:45 AM - 10:00 AMBiography
Dr Miles De Blasio is head of the Cardio-Metabolic Physiology laboratory and also co-lab head of the Heart Failure Pharmacology laboratory at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. His current research focus is on the cardiometabolic alterations that occur in the heart in response to obesity-related diseases and the metabolic changes that occur in animal models of diabetes, cardiometabolic HFpEF and obesity. He has authored 85 publications in journals such as Nature Reviews Cardiology, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, British Journal of Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Research, and Cardiovascular Diabetology. He is an Invited Associate Editor for Cardiovascular Diabetology, a member of Victorian Cardiovascular Research Network (VCRN), the Victorian Heart Institute (VHI), the International Society of Heart Research (ISHR), & the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ).
Assoc Prof Wai San Cheang
University Of Macau
Citrus flavonoids tangeretin and nobiletin ameliorate endothelial dysfunction associated with diabetes
10:00 AM - 10:15 AMBiography
Dr. Wai San Cheang is currently the Associate Professor and serves as Assistant Director (Global Affairs) of the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Mechanism and Quality of Chinese Medicine, at University of Macau. She received her PhD degree in Physiology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2014. She received the postdoctoral training at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and University of California, San Diego. Her research interest is vascular and metabolic biology, identifying novel biomarkers/ therapeutic targets in vascular and metabolic dysfunction and pharmacological characterization of Chinese medicine in vasculature. She has published 90 articles on peer-reviewed journals (h-index of 36). She is the Council Member of The Chinese Society of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Chinese Pharmacological Society (2021-), Macau Pharmacology Association (2022-), and Macau Association for Young Scientists (2023-).
Mr Juan Contreras
Student
Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Anti-VEGF therapy on retinal gliosis: GFAP expression in streptozotocin-induced diabetic retinopathy
10:15 AM - 10:30 AMBiography
Juan Antonio Contreras Zetina is a Medical Doctor, graduated from the Escuela Superior de Medicina of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), where he also obtained a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology. He completed a clinical training stay at Hospital Parc Taulí in Catalonia, in affiliation with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Medical Research at the Escuela Superior de Medicina of the IPN and is a member of the British Pharmacological Society.
His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms involved in ocular diseases, particularly diabetic retinopathy, with particular emphasis on the role of oxidative stress and neuroprotective factors.
He has participated in nationally and internationally recognized scientific conferences, presenting his work at the 19th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (Glasgow, Scotland), the National Congress of Immunology, and the International Diabetes Federation Congress. His additional training includes applied biostatistics, research bioethics, and data science applied to pharmacology.
Session chair
Juan Contreras
Student
Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Robert Widdop
Monash University