20th International
p53 Workshop
Toronto, Canada
April 27 - May 1, 2026
This globally recognized conference brings together leading scientists, clinicians, and industry experts to explore the latest breakthroughs in TP53's role in human biology and genomics, health and disease and particularly, its evolving pivotal role in cancer therapeutics.
Co-organized by three of Canada’s top research institutions — University Health Network (UHN), Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) — the workshop continues a long-standing tradition of excellence in the p53 research community.
This year’s event will be held at the SickKids Peter Gilgan Centre for Research & Learning, a modern, world-class research facility located in the Discovery District in the heart of downtown Toronto.
Join us as we celebrate the 20th edition of this landmark workshop and help shape the future of cancer research and treatment.
The official program agenda will be posted on Friday October 31st.
DATE
April 27- May 1, 2026
LOCATION
SickKids
Peter Gilgan Centre for
Research and Learning
Workshop Goals and Objectives:
- Highlight novel insights into p53 biology
The conference aims to showcase groundbreaking research and cutting-edge advancements related to TP53, the most studied and frequently mutated gene in cancer. - Explore the multifaceted roles of p53
Attendees will delve into how p53 regulates metabolism, inflammation and immunity, tissue microenvironment, and its isoforms/family members. Understanding these diverse functions could reveal new biological frameworks. - Discuss strategies to target p53 in human disease
A core objective is to translate basic insights into therapeutic approaches—identifying ways to manipulate or restore p53 function in cancer and other diseases. - Facilitate interdisciplinary exchange among top experts
By bringing together leading scientists, clinicians, and researchers from a breadth of institutions from around the world, the workshop fosters collaboration across disciplines to accelerate translational research. - Inspire the next wave of p53 research and innovation
Through oral presentations, poster sessions, and interactions with senior leaders in the field, the workshop serves as a catalyst for new ideas, partnerships, and training in the p53 field.
The SickKids Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning
John Abrams - UT Southwester Medical Center - Dallas, Texas, USA
Laura Attardi - Stanford University - Stanford, California, USA
Vinod Balachandran - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre - New York, New York, USA
Francis Barr - Oxford University - Oxford, England, UK
Jason Berman - Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Shelley Berger - University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Giovanni Blandino - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute - Rome, Italy
Jean-Christophe Bourdon - The University of Dundee - Dundee, Scotland, UK
Andrei Budanov - Trinity College Dublin - Dublin, Ireland
Kathleen Burns - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Tomer Cooks - Ben-Gurion University - Be'er Shava, Israel
Giannino Del Sal - University of Trieste - Trieste, Italy
Matthias Dobbelstein - University Medical Center Göttingen - Göttingen, Germany
Martin Fischer - Fritz Lipmann Institute - Potsdam, Germany
Judy Garber - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Benjamin Greenbaum - Sloan Kettering Institute - New York, New York, USA
Andrei Gudkov - Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center - Buffalo, New York, USA
Wei Gu - Columbia University - New York, New York, USA
Ran Kafri - SickKids (The Hospital for Sick Children) - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Batsheva Kerem - Hebrew University - Jerusalem, Israel
David Kirsch - University Health Network (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre) - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Christian Kratz - Hannover Medical School - Hannover, Germany
Galit Lahav - Harvard Medical School - Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
David Lane - Karolinska Institute - Stockholm, Sweden
Arnold Levine - Institute for Advanced Study - Princeton, New Jersey, USA
Bowen Li - University of Toronto - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Xin Liu - Oxford University - Oxford, England, UK
Scott Lowe - Sloan Kettering Institute - New York, New York, USA
Gigi Lozano - MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston, Texas, USA
David Malkin - SickKids (The Hospital for Sick Children) - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jim Manfredi - Mount Sinai School of Medicine - New York, New York, USA
Kara Maxwell - University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Gerry Melino - University of Tor Vergata - Rome, Italy
Emilie Montellier - University Grenoble Alpes - Grenoble, France
Maureen Murphy - The Wistar Institute - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Karen Oegema - UC - San Diego - San Diego, California, USA
Moshe Oren - Weizmann Institute of Science - Rehovot, Israel
Carol Prives - Columbia University - New York, New York, USA
Trevor Pugh - Ontario Institute for Cancer Research - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Raul Rabadan - Columbia University - New York, New York, USA
Kanaga Sabapathy - Nanyang Technological University - Singapore, Singapore
Daniel Schramek - Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Galina Selivanova - Karolinska Institute - Stockholm, Sweden
Andreas Strasser - Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research - Melbourne, Australia
Uri Tabori - SickKids (The Hospital for Sick Children) - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Fritz Vollrath - Oxford University - Oxford, England, UK
Klas Wiman - Karolinska Institute - Stockholm, Sweden
We thank our 2026 Workshop Sponsors for their support!
PLATINUM SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSORS
We recognize and thank the International Scientific Organizing Committee for their dedication to the 20th annual International p53 Workshop:
Co–Chairs
David Kirsch, MD, PhD Senior Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Head, Radiation Medicine Program
International Scientific Organizing Committee:
Laura Attardi, Stanford University, California, USA
Giovanni Blandino, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
Kathleen H. Burns, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Giannino Del Sal, University of Trieste and IFOM, Milan, Italy
Batsheva Kerem, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
David Lane, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Arnold Levine, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA
Guillermina Lozano, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
Gerry Melino, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Moshe Oren, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Carol Prives, Columbia University, New York, USA