Advancing Precision Oncology with Biomarker-driven Strategies and Digital Data Solutions

Mark Yates, MD, PhD, Director of RWE Strategy and RWD Solutions, PPD clinical research business, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Mark Yates, MD, PhD, is the Director of Real-World Data and Real-World Evidence Strategy at Evidera PPD in London, United Kingdom, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. He leads on defining and executing Evidera’s RWD/E strategy and also serves as Principal Investigator or Advisor on a range of project types including data landscaping, drug safety and efficacy studies, registry studies and healthcare resource utilization studies, leveraging data from across the globe. He has deep expertise in delivering multi-country data networks, in which disparate data types are combined and harmonized.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Yates was the Director of Epidemiology at Our Future Health, where he led in developing participant recruitment strategies for a UK-wide cohort study aiming for 5 million participants. He has over 10 years’ experience working as a Physician in the UK, primarily in Rheumatology. Dr Yates’ previous experience as a Clinician Academic at King’s College London included studies exploring drug safety and efficacy (both observational and interventional) and modelling predictors of outcomes for rheumatological conditions and COVID-19, with a specific focus on socioeconomic and geographic factors. He has an honorary appointment at King’s College London, serving as an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, and has over 6,000 citations in peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Yates earned his PhD in Epidemiology of Early Inflammatory Arthritis at King’s College London. He also holds a degree in Medicine and a Bachelor’s degree in Anatomical Sciences, both from The University of Manchester.

Jai Balkissoon, MD, FACS, Global Vice President, Head Cell and Gene Therapy, Medical Science & Strategy, Oncology, PPD, clinical research business, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Jaikrishna (Jai) Balkissoon, MD, FACS, is a Surgical Oncologist and the Medical and Scientific Lead for Immuno-Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy at PPD and is the visionary behind the creation of the PPD Immuno-Oncology/Cell Therapy Center of Excellence. With more than 25 years’ experience in both clinical practice and clinical research, Dr. Balkissoon is committed to capitalizing on advances in the rapidly changing therapeutic landscape to establish PPD as a world-class partner in advancing immunology-oncology/cell therapy studies. His personal immuno-oncology and cell therapy experience includes treating patients with advanced melanoma, kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma with adoptive cell therapies and vaccines either with or without gene modification. He developed an immunotherapy program in Northern California for treating advanced melanoma and kidney cancer patients with high-dose interleukin-2. At PPD, he has been the Therapeutic Advisor for cell therapy studies in oncology and provides drug development strategy, medical, scientific and product development guidance to both external clients and internal PPD clinical operations and business development teams. He also consults on investigational new drug submission and clinical input toward protocol development, including adaptive designs when feasible.

With extensive clinical oncology experience and as a Senior Executive in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Dr. Balkissoon joined PPD in 2013 after previously working at Genentech and Oxigene in South San Francisco, where he was Vice President of Clinical Research.

Dr Balkissoon holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Beloit College in Wisconsin and a Medical Degree from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He completed a general surgery residency at Howard University and a Surgical Oncology and Immunotherapy Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Maryland.

Ethel Pilati, Executive Director, Project Management, Precision Medicine in Oncology, Lead, PPD clinical research business, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Ethel Pilati serves as an Executive Director in the Hematology/Oncology clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific. She leads the low-prevalence /rare/ translational oncology group within the Oncology Therapeutic Area.

With more than 20 years of industry experience in clinical research, mainly in hematology and oncology, brings deep expertise in FIH through Phase IV studies, from protocol design/feasibility through to closeout & regulatory approvals. Ethel is passionate about patient diversity and health equity, enjoys developing new strategies to expand country and site network offerings in LMI countries and constantly improve services and solutions.

Ethel holds a Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology.

Anu Bansal, MD, MS, VP, Head of Oncology, Medical Imaging, Endpoint Data, CLARIO, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific

As Vice President of Imaging in Oncology, Dr. Bansal provides leadership and oversight of all aspects of Imaging in Phase I-IV drug and device trials from protocol design through registrational submission and post-approval monitoring. He uses his 20+ years of experience in clinical research and patient care to support Clario’s cross-functional teams and clients in Medical, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs.

Dr. Bansal is trained and holds board certifications in Diagnostic Radiology, Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology and Clinical Informatics. He received his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Harvard University, his MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an MS in Healthcare Management from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and his fellowships at the Mallickrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University.

Jane Li, Senior Director, Pharma and CRO, Life Sciences Solutions, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Jane Li is the Senior Director of Pharma CDx and CRO Partnerships at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she leads global strategy to expand the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in precision oncology. With over 25 years of experience in life sciences and diagnostics, she blends scientific expertise with business leadership to drive innovation.

Jane has helped launch and scale NGS-based oncology testing services, built key partnerships with pharma and cancer centers across the US and Asia, and led cross-functional teams in both large organizations and fast-paced startup environments. Her work focuses on turning complex science into real-world solutions that improve patient outcomes.

Yarden Ginsburg, Senior Patient Recruitment & Engagement Lead, Patient First Digital Solutions, PPD Clinical Research Services, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Yarden Ginsburg serves as a Senior Patient Recruitment and Engagement Lead (PREL) on the Patient First DELIVERY Team at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

With more than ten years of experience in patient recruitment, engagement and retention, primarily supporting precision medicine clinical trials, Yarden brings deep expertise in developing patient-centered recruitment strategies that accelerate enrollment and enhance participant engagement across complex studies. As a PREL, Yarden is dedicated to driving successful recruitment outcomes through proactive strategy, cross-functional collaboration, implementation of data-driven solutions and continuous oversight.

Yarden holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Miami University and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University.