We are excited to invite you to the St. Anna CCRI Symposium on Cell Fate in Cancer and Development, taking place on January 23th, 2026. As the only research institute in central Europe dedicated exclusively to childhood cancer, St. Anna CCRI is home to 15 research groups working at the forefront of pediatric cancer research. Our symposium will bring together leading experts to explore the vital role of cell fate decisions in cancer and development, with a special focus on pediatric cancers.
Why Cell Fate in Cancer and Development?
Pediatric tumors are viewed as anomalies in the developmental process, when the cells of the growing embryo cannot make proper decisions to differentiate into the correct functional cell types, at the correct time, space, and proportions. To make correct decisions, cells need to integrate the information about their environment, local morphogenic signals, and mechanical cues to change their internal state, guarded by gene regulatory networks and their clonal history. Genetic and epigenetic perturbations affecting any of these processes might be implicated in pediatric cancer initiation, maintenance, and spread. During this Symposium, we will explore recent advancements in the understanding of cell fate decision control in healthy development and how pediatric cancer drivers could disrupt it.
The 2026 St. Anna CCRI Symposium will be devoted to this central topic, featuring international experts:
Guest Speakers
James Briscoe
The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
James Briscoe is a Group Leader and Associate Research Director at the Francis Crick Institute, London. His group explores the role of morphogenic gradients and gene regulatory networks on cell fate specification during neural tube formation, in connection with nervous system disease and supporting future advancements in regenerative medicine.
Alejo Rodriguez-Fraticelli
Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona, Spain
Alejo Rodriguez-Fraticelli is a Group Leader at the Institute for Biomedical Research (IRB) in Barcelona and ICREA Professor. His group focuses on the developmental origins of stem cell heterogeneity and its consequences for immune cell aging and cancer initiation.
Emma Andersson
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Emma Andersson is a Group Leader and Associate Professor in Developmental Biology at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, where she pioneered in utero cell targeting technologies. Her group investigates the principles of morphogenesis and clonal relationships at the single cell level, focusing on both normal development and disease.
Anindita Roy
Department of Paediatrics and MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, WIMM, University of Oxford, UK
Anindita Roy is a Group Leader at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM) and Professor of Paediatric Hematology at the University of Oxford. The mission of her group is to study prenatal B lymphopoiesis in order to understand the origins of childhood leukaemia, in particular infant acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Registration
Register for the St. Anna CCRI Symposium on Cell Fate in Cancer and Development (no fees)
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Program
Find the program for the St. Anna CCRI Symposium on Cell Fate in Cancer and Development
Location
Van Swieten Saal of the Medical University Vienna; Van-Swieten-Gasse 1a, 1090 Vienna
Hosts
Organizers
Lisa Huto
Lukas Lach
Carina Heinreichsberger
Marion Zavadil
Contact
For further questions regarding the symposium do not hesitate and contact ccrisymposium@ccri.at