We are currently in the process of creating the 2025 Montagna Symposium Program.
Chaired by Anthony Oro, MD, PhD, Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor at Stanford Medicine, the 2025 Montagna Symposium will focus on emerging paradigms in personalized medicine. Population studies have raised questions about why individuals do not respond to established therapies. Patients are individuals with personalized social, behavioral, and genetic determinants, but knowledge gaps exist regarding how these determinants influence diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous diseases. The goal of this Symposium is to highlight emerging avenues of investigation and streamline their incorporation into clinical medicine for our patients. Program Co-Chairs are Masa Amagai, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine and Vice President for Research, Keio University, and Aimee Payne, MD, PhD, Herbert and Florence Irving Professor and Chair of Dermatology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
2025 Program
(subject to change)
Thursday, October 16
| Departure: Noon | Shuttle Bus from PDX (Reservation required during registration) |
| 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Arrival and Check in |
| 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. | Mentorship Mixer and Reception |
| 5 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. | Welcome and Introductory Comments Program Chair: Anthony Oro, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford University) Symposium Co-Directors: Tamia Harris-Tryon, M.D., Ph.D. (UT Southwestern Medical Center) |
| 5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. | Conference Keynote Howard Chang, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford University) |
| 6:15 p.m. – 8 p.m. | Dinner |
| 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. | Rest and Reflect Optional Gathering: Forest Fire Pit |
Friday, October 17
| 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 8 a.m. – 8:05 a.m. | Announcements |
| 8:05 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. | Session 1: Novel Targets for CarT Cell Therapies |
| 8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. | Aimee Payne, M.D., Ph.D. (Columbia University) Engineered T cells for autoimmunity: emerging data from human clinical trials |
| 8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m. | Discussion |
| 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. | Christoph Ellebrecht, M.D. (University of Pennsylvania) |
| 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. | Discussion |
| 9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | Jae Choi, M.D., Ph.D. (Northwestern University) |
| 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Discussion |
| 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. | Michael Girardi, M.D. (Yale University) |
| 11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Discussion |
| 11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Short Talk and Discussion #1 |
| 11:45 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Short Talk and Discussion #2 |
| 12 p.m. – 1:15pm | Lunch |
| 1:15 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. | Session 2: Tissue Regeneration Therapeutic Approaches |
| 1:25 p.m. – 1:55 p.m. | Anthony Oro, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford) Manufacturing Multilineage Tissue Replacement Therapies for Genetic Diseases |
| 1:55 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. | Discussion |
| 2:10 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. | Luis Garza, M.D., Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University) Cellular therapy to modify skin identity |
| 2:40 p.m. – 3:05 p.m. | Discussion |
| 3:05 p.m. – 3:35 p.m. | Suma Krishnan, (Krystal Biotech) |
| 3:35 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. | Discussion |
| 3:50 p.m. – 4:05 p.m. | Coffee Break |
| 4:05 p.m. – 4:35 p.m. | Tom Bollenbach, CSO ARMI / BioFAB |
| 4:35 p.m. – 5:05 p.m. | Discussion |
| 5:05 p.m. – 5:20 p.m. | Short Talk and Discussion #3 |
| 5:20 p.m. – 5.35 p.m. | Short Talk and Discussion #4 |
| 5:35 p.m. – 7 p.m. | Dinner |
| 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. | Poster Reception and Wine Tasting |
Saturday, October 18
| 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 8 a.m. – 8:05 a.m. | Announcements |
| 8:05 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. | Session 3: Novel Immodulatory Platforms for Cutaneous Disease |
| 8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. | Masa Amagai, M.D., Ph.D. (Keio University) Converting Pathogenic Autoimmune T Cells into Antigen-Specific Regulatory T Cells as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Pemphigus |
| 8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m. | Discussion |
| 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. | Michael Rosenblum, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco) |
| 9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. | Discussion |
| 10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Megan Levings, Ph.D. (University of British Columbia) Inducing tolerance with regulatory T cell therapy |
| 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | Discussion |
| 10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Brian Kim, M.D., M.T.R. (Mount Sinai) |
| 11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Discussion |
| 11:45 am – 12 pm | Short Talk and Discussion #1 |
| 12 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Short Talk and Discussion #2 |
| 12:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Lunch (On Your Own) FREE TIME / CASCADE HIKE |
| 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. | Small Group Discussions / Workshops Academic Mentorship Industry Mentorship |
| 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Dinner Travel Award Ceremony: · NIAMS Support · Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) Farber Award · Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (JSID) Award · Korean Society for Investigative Dermatology (KSID) Award: · Taiwanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (TSID) Award: · European Society for Dermatological Research: · Montagna Symposium Director’s Award for Diversity
Dinner Keynote: Kristen Hege, M.D. (Former SVP Bristol Myers Squibb) |
Sunday, October 19
| 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 8 a.m. – 8:05 a.m. | Announcements |
| 8:05 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. | Session 4: RNA Medicines for Cutaneous Disorders Session Moderator: Alain Hovnanian, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Paris) |
| 8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. | Alain Hovnanian, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Paris) |
| 8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m. | Discussion |
| 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. | John Harris, M.D., Ph.D. (UMass Chan Medical) From Nobel discoveries to clinical breakthrough: How RNA interference is transforming treatments for inflammatory skin diseases |
| 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. | Discussion |
| 9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | Catherine Wu, M.D. (Harvard University) |
| 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Discussion |
| 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | William Greenleaf, Ph.D. (Stanford University) |
| 11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Discussion |
| 11:45 am – 12 pm | Short Talk and Discussion #1 |
| 12 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Short Talk and Discussion #2 |
| 12:15 p.m. – 1:15pm | Lunch |
| 1:15 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. | Session 5: Novel Cancer Therapeutics for Cutaneous Oncology Session Moderator: Niro Anandasabapathy, M.D., Ph.D. (Weill Cornell Medicine) |
| 1:25 p.m. – 1:55 p.m. | Niro Anandasabapathy, M.D., Ph.D. (Weill Cornell Medicine) |
| 1:55 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. | Discussion |
| 2:10 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. | Y. Erin Chen, M.D., Ph.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) How are commensal skin bacteria sensed by the immune system? |
| 2:40 p.m. – 3:05 p.m. | Discussion |
| 3:05 p.m. – 3:35 p.m. | Anne Lynn Chang, M.D. (Stanford University) |
| 3:35 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. | Discussion |
| 3:50 p.m. – 4:05 p.m. | Short Talk and Discussion #3 |
| 4:05 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. | Short Talk and Discussion #4 |
| 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Salmon Bake Dinner (weather permitting) Shuttle departs at 5:15 p.m. and returns 7:30 p.m. |
Monday, October 20
| 6 a.m. – 8 a.m. | Breakfast and Depart |
| 8:30 a.m. | Bus Departs for PDX Airport |
2024 Support
Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by a grant (5R13AR009431-57) from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
The Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin gratefully acknowledges:
- NIH Grant Number 2 R13 AR009431-57 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) for the SID Eugene M. Farber Travel Awards for Young Investigators
- Journal of Investigative Dermatology
- European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) for the ESDR Travel Award for Young Investigators
- Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (JSID) for the JSID Travel Awards for Young Investigators
- Korean Society for Investigative Dermatology (KSID) for the KSID Travel Awards for Young Investigators
- Taiwanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (TSID) for the TSID Travel Awards for Young Investigators
- Journal of Investigative Dermatology
- Grants from:
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund serves and strengthens society by nurturing a diverse group of leaders in biomedical sciences to improve human health through education and powering discovery in frontiers of greatest need
The Leakey Foundation is the leading nonprofit funder of human origins research. This year, they are providing award travel support for speakers from the field of anthropology. Together, we are advancing our mission to explore and explain our shared human story.
The Leakey Foundation combines science and education to illuminate our past, understand our present, and inspire a better future. Watch “Still So Much to Discover”.
The LEO Foundation
The Foundation provides philanthropic grants with the aim to support the best international research in skin diseases and make Denmark a global beacon for skin research.
The Skin of Color Society (SOCS) is the world’s leading professional dermatologic organization dedicated to achieving health equity and excellence in patient care through research, education, mentorship, and advocacy. SOCS is committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in the field of dermatology to advance patient care.
This Symposium is supported in part by an educational grant from Pfizer
This Symposium is supported in part by an educational grant from Incyte
This Symposium is supported in part by an educational grant from Abbvie
2024 Sponsor Acknowledgement
We thank our generous sponsors for making the 2024 Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin possible.
Champion Level Sponsors:
| Castle |  |
| Chan Zuckerberg Initiative |  |
Sustainer Level Sponsors:
| Eli Lilly and Company |  |
| Janssen J&J |  |
| SkinMedica |  |
Benefactor Level Sponsors:
| Amgen |  |
| Bristol Meyers Squibb |  |
| David M.C. Ju Foundation |  |
| Incyte |  |
| Newmedical Technology |  |
| Novartis |  |
| Regeneron |  |
| UCB |  |
Patron Level Sponsors:
| Candela |  |
| KrystalBio |  |
| Oregon Dermatology Society |  |
| Sanofi |  |
Associate Level Sponsors:
| CeraVe |  |
| Dermavant |  |
| La Roche-Posay |  |
| Lumo Imaging |  |
| SkylineDx |  |
| Science Signaling |  |