Welcome | Workshop Themes | Program-at-a-Glance | Plenary Speakers |
Organizing Committee
Welcome to the IEEE FDC Workshop on Cancer and Immuno-Engineering
Metin Akay
Founding Chair, IEEE Cancer and Immuno-Engineering Initiative
John S. Dunn Endowed Professor, University of Houston
Cancer remains one of humanity’s greatest biomedical challenges—not because of a lack of therapies, but because of its extraordinary complexity, including tumor heterogeneity, immune suppression, adaptive resistance, and constantly evolving disease biology. The IEEE Cancer and Immuno-Engineering Initiative is built on a bold premise: Engineering must move from supporting oncology to transforming it.
Our goal is to catalyze a new paradigm in cancer research and therapy by integrating engineering innovation with clinical oncology, cancer biology, immunology, computational science, and translational medicine. To advance this vision, we are pleased to convene the inaugural IEEE Future Directions Committee (FDC) Workshop on Cancer and Immuno-Engineering, 2-3 November 2026, in Houston, Texas—one of the world’s leading centers of biomedical innovation. Home to the Texas Medical Center and globally recognized institutions such as MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston provides an exceptional ecosystem for advancing cancer science, engineering, and translational medicine.
The workshop will bring together approximately 30 distinguished leaders from engineering, oncology, immunology, computational science, clinical research, and industry. The meeting will feature distinguished speakers followed by high-level Grand Challenge discussions designed to identify critical barriers, define priorities, and develop actionable roadmaps for sustained collaboration and translation. It will bring together global leaders to define—and design—the next frontier of cancer innovation. This landmark workshop will identify and define the most urgent engineering-driven challenges in cancer diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and cure.
Through cross-disciplinary Grand Challenge discussions, we will seek to articulate measurable and time-bound priorities, identify critical technological and translational barriers, and develop actionable strategies and collaborative roadmaps to accelerate clinical implementation and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
The IEEE FDC Workshop on Cancer and Immuno-Engineering represents a call to bring together engineering, medicine, biology, and industry to move beyond incremental advances and engineer the future of cancer care.