Join us for the Research Innovation Summit at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, on September 3, 2026
Join Leica Biosystems and leading researchers for a day dedicated to the future of fixed tissue research. Explore modern workflows for discovery, drug development, and translational research through expert talks, panel discussions, Q&A, and opportunities to connect directly with specialists across staining, imaging, multiplexing, and digital pathology.
Core themes and topics for 2026 include:
- Digital pathology, image analysis, and AI in modern research workflows
- Spatial biology, multiplex staining, and translational biomarker discovery
- Connected tissue research workflows across staining, scanning, image management, and analysis
Join leading researchers, Leica Biosystems experts, and up to 150 attendees for this exclusive event in Boston, MA.
Location
The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115
Date / Time
September 3, 2026
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM EDT
Why attend?
- Hear from leading researchers in spatial biology, AI, and translational research
- Explore emerging workflows in multiplex staining, digital pathology, and image analysis
- Experience live demonstrations of Leica Biosystems and partner technologies
- Connect with researchers from academia, biotech, and pharmaceutical organizations
Schedule
| Time (EDT) | Session |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | Registration and Coffee |
| 9:30 AM | Our Computational Pathology Vision Karan Arora, Leica Biosystems, Senior Vice President, Advanced Assays and Pharma Services |
| 10:00 AM | Improving Therapy for Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients Using High-Plex Tissue Profiling Jonathan A. Nowak, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School |
| 10:45 AM | Networking Break and Workflow Showcase |
| 11:15 AM | Scalable Discovery with Foundation Models in Spatial Biology Anurag Vaidya, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch & Workflow Showcase |
| 1:00 PM | Multiplex Staining: A Key Component of Modern Translational Research Linda Nieman, PhD, Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute |
| 1:30 PM | Fast 3D Modeling of Subcellular Protein Expression Rick Siderits, MD, Discovery Life Sciences |
| 2:30 PM | Networking Break and Workflow Showcase |
| 3:00 PM | Panel: The Future of Diagnostics: What Will Be the Role of Emerging Biomarkers, Spatial Biology and AI? |
| 4:00 – 6:00 PM | Poster Reception and Speaker Forum |
Featured Speakers
Zoom image Jonathan A. Nowak, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Nowak is a molecular and GI pathologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School. He is board-certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and molecular genetic pathology. Dr. Nowak oversees NGS assays for solid tumors and cancer predisposition and runs a research lab at Dana-Farber for multi-omic analysis of pancreatic and colorectal cancers.
Richard “Rick” Siderits, MD, Discovery Life Sciences
Dr. Siderits is a Clinical and Anatomic Pathologist, dual boarded in Cytopathology. His background includes Advanced Informatics in Public Health, Transfusion Medicine, the History of Medicine and Bio Medical Ethics. His primary fellowship training is in experimental pathology, and he is currently a pathologist at Discovery Sciences Tissue Biomarker Division (Green level 5), located in pastoral Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Linda T Nieman, PhD, Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute
Linda T Nieman, PhD is the Director of the Tumor Cartography Center at MGB Cancer Institute. She leads a multidisciplinary core that provides investigators across Mass General Brigham and Harvard with expertise in spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics, multiplex RNA and protein staining and imaging, digital pathology, tissue microarray construction, and quantitative image analysis. The core provides comprehensive project support from experimental design and assay optimization through spatial data analysis and interpretation.
Anurag Vaidya, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Anurag Vaidya is a Graduate Reserach Assistant at Massachusetts Institute of Technology working in multimodal deep learning, responsible and interpretable AI, and generative AI. He completed his PhD with Faisal Mahmood and is now leading efforts in BIDMC's spatial proteomics foundation model, KRONOS.
Karan Arora, Leica Biosystems
Karan Arora is the Senior Vice President of Advanced Assays, AI, and Pharma Services at Leica Biosystems. He leads a $600M global business unit and 400+ associates at Leica Biosystems, advancing precision oncology through digital pathology, AI, and spatial biology— helping ensure patients receive the right treatment the first time. His career spans leadership roles across diagnostics, digital health, and pharmaceuticals, where he has built and scaled organizations that transform the way healthcare is delivered worldwide.
Experience Live Demonstrations of Our Latest Research Innovations
Aperio GT Elite High-Capacity Brightfield Slide Scanner
Built for high-throughput whole slide imaging, with SmartScan™ automation that applies slide-level scan settings, reduces manual steps, and supports consistent first-pass scanning confidence at scale.
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For Research Use Only. Not for Use in Diagnostic Procedures.