WashU Medicine Researchers to Present Broad Neuro-Oncology Portfolio at #SNO2026

Awardee David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, leads a strong lineup of physician-researchers presenting at the 31st Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting & Education Day

David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor and director of the Neurofibromatosis Center at WashU Medicine, has been named the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Victor Levin Award by the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO).

The award, given annually, honors Gutmann’s outstanding contributions to neuro-oncology research, particularly his pioneering work in identifying the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying pediatric brain tumor development and growth. He is an internationally recognized expert in neurofibromatosis at Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine, and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Gutmann will receive the award at SNO’s 31st Annual Meeting & Education Day, which will be held Nov. 12-15 in Philadelphia. As part of the recognition, he will deliver the Victor Levin Award Lecture during the scientific program on Nov. 14. His presentation, titled, “Reimaging Pediatric Brain Tumors — Lessons from An Academic Life in Neurofibromatosis,” is scheduled from 1:45-2:15 p.m. in Exhibit Hall C at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

Gutmann was part of a team that successfully identified the full-length NF1 gene and subsequently discovered how its protein function acts as a tumor suppressor. His research at WashU Medicine has transformed our understanding of the role of the tumor microenvironment, including nerve and immune system cells, in supporting tumor growth, thereby paving the way for novel stroma-targeted therapies.

Gutmann established the WashU Medicine Neurofibromatosis Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital in 1993. Over the past 30 years, he has helped build the center into one of the largest and most comprehensive centers in the world specializing in NF care and research for both children and adults.

WashU Medicine Neuro-Oncology Researchers Well-Represented at SNO

Gutmann is one of several WashU Medicine physician-researchers at Siteman Cancer Center who are presenting at the annual meeting. Others are listed below. All sessions are held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The times are Eastern.

• Angela Hirbe, MD, PhD, director of the Sarcoma Program at Siteman Cancer Center and director of the Adult Fibromatosis Clinical Program. She will serve as a speaker during an industry-sponsored session focused on NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas across the patient journey. She also will present updated findings for a Phase 2b clinical trial on the long-term effectiveness of mirdametinib for adults and children with symptomatic NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas.
  • CTNI-06 Abstract Award: Long-term analysis of mirdametinib treatment in adults and children with symptomatic neurofibromatosis type 1-associated plexiform neurofibroma (NF1-PN): Updated phase 2b ReNeu trial findings
    • Nov. 13, 3:45-3:52 p.m.
    • Room 119 AB
• Milan Chheda, MD, director of Neuro-Oncology at WashU Medicine and associate director of Siteman’s Brain Tumor Center, who will present research on the unintended impact of therapeutic radiation on changes in the brain and tumor growth. He also will moderate a scientific session on basic science abstracts presented at SNO.
  • TMIC-106: Unintended effects of therapeutic radiation: effects on the brain that promote tumor growth
    • Nov. 13, 3:04-3:09 p.m.
    • Room 118 ABC
  • Chedda will also co-moderate Basic Science Oral Abstracts Session III on Nov. 14 from 5-6 p.m. in Room 118 ABC.
• Omar Butt, MD, PhD, will present research on real-world analysis of tumor treating fields therapy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma who have low-performance status.
  • NCOG-24: Tumor Treating Fields therapy in newly diagnosed GBM patients with low performance status: real-world analysis of patients treated in the US
  • Poster Session:
    • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
    • Exhibit Hall D & E
  • Rapid Orals Session IV B:
    • Nov. 14, 11:57 a.m.-12 p.m.
    • Exhibit Hall D & E
• Tanner Johanns, MD, PhD, medical director of Siteman’s Brain Tumor Center. He will present research examining long-term outcomes of personalized neoantigen-targeted immunotherapy for patients with brain cancer. His research demonstrates how individualized vaccines may promote sustained immune surveillance and could help guide novel treatment strategies.
  • CTIM-23: Long-term neoantigen-targeted personalized immunotherapy for cancer (PIC) drives sustained immunosurveillance in brain cancer patients and offers a path to dynamic therapy
    • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
    • Exhibit Hall D & E
• Eric Thompson, MD, the T.S. Park, MD, Chair in Pediatric Neurosurgery and chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Thompson, who also is a member of the Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital care team, will present preliminary results from a multi-institutional Phase II study evaluating a peptide vaccine targeting human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) antigens in pediatric patients with high-grade gliomas, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma and recurrent medulloblastoma.
  • CTIM-02: Preliminary Results of a Multi-Institutional Phase 2 Study of a Peptide Vaccine Targeting hCMV Antigens in Newly Diagnosed Pediatric High-Grade Glioma/Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and Recurrent Medulloblastoma
    • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
    • Exhibit Hall D & E

In addition to presentations by WashU faculty, WashU Medicine trainees, fellows and students will present research spanning tumor biology, immunotherapy, liquid biopsies diagnostics, neuro-oncology imaging and cancer metabolism, all of which showcase the depth and breadth of WashU Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center’s neuro-oncology clinical and research programs.

Unless otherwise noted, the presentations are poster presentations. All presentations will be in Exhibit Hall D & E. See below for other details.

• Saara Engineer (Undergraduate Student)
  • TMIC-110: Distinguishing tumor-associated microglia and macrophages
  • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Charise Garber, MD, PhD (Resident)
  • TMOD-02: Creation and validation of an immunocompetent mouse high-grade glioma model expressing human CMV antigen pp65
  • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Ryan Gimple, MD PhD (Fellow)
  • BIOM-33: CSF-derived cell-free DNA/RNA analysis captures the genomic landscape of solid and hematologic CNS malignancies yielding broad clinical actionability
  • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Asad Lak, MD (Post-Doctoral Fellow)
  • PATH-15: Sporadic Meningiomatosis: A Propensity-Matched Analysis of Outcomes and Inter-tumoral Heterogeneity
  • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Uma Mani (Medical Student)
  • IMG-78: Utility of 2D MR spectroscopy using vendor-supplied acquisition and post-processing software without advanced techniques or expertise in differentiating progression of disease from treatment-related changes in patients with high-grade gliomas and metastatic disease of the brain
  • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Jorie Singer, MD, MPH (Resident)
  • PATH-11: Pediatric-type high-grade glioma in an octogenarian: a case report
  • Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Shanshan Zhang (Graduate Student)
  • TMET-15: Sex-specific differences in branched-chain amino acid metabolism in glioblastoma
  • Rapid Orals Session VI A: Nov. 13, 11:33-11:36 a.m.
  • Poster presentation: Nov. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.