11:00 am – 11:40 am MT:
Polysialic acid as a prognostic marker in breast cancer

Dr. Karla Williams
Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia
Dr. Williams received her PhD from the University of Guelph in 2013. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in surgery at Western University and is now an assistant professor at UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dr. Karla Williams’ research program is focused on cancer cell dissemination and the development of evidence based medicine for cancer detection and prognostication. Dr. Williams studies small invasive structures termed invadopodia to define their role in metastasis and is investigating potential applications for targeting them to prevent, or stabilize, metastatic disease. In addition, her research is exploring the use of extracellular vesicles to help detect and diagnose cancer. She uses nano-scale flow cytometry to analyze extracellular vesicle biomarker composition for the development of evidence based tests capable of directing patient treatment.