Weber Symposium 2025
The Michael J. Weber Symposium was founded to honor the life and accomplishments of renowned scientist and UVA Cancer Center Director Dr. Michael Weber. The goal of this annual symposium is to bring together internationally renowned cancer researchers and clinicians to present their findings on a timely area of cancer research.
The fifth annual Michael J. Weber Symposium to honor Dr. Weber’s life and achievements will be held on October 3, 2025 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Claude Moore Medical Education Building Auditorium. Registration is free; breakfast and lunch will be provided. This year’s theme is “Drugging the Undruggable in Cancer.”
Claude Moore Medical Education Building Auditorium
200 Jeanette Lancaster Way, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Registration is free and includes free meals.
While the event is in-person, we are happy to accommodate you virtually. Please register to receive the virtual meeting login details.
“The Great Wave off Kanagawa” is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. It shows two boats fighting a huge wave, an analogy to attempting to overcome/drug (the boats) the undruggable in cancer (the wave). Dr. Weber was an admirer of the arts and used artwork to symbolize the symposia that he organized.
Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1831
Featuring the following world-class scientists and clinicians:
Lisa H. Butterfield
Discovery Oncology
Craig Crews
Yale University
Alpa Patel
American Cancer Society
Mallika Singh
Revolution Medicines
Frank Slack
Harvard University
Agenda information coming soon!
About Dr. Michael J. Weber
Dr. Michael J. Weber (1942-2021) was a preeminent scientist and cancer researcher, a valued colleague, leader, and mentor at the University of Virginia (UVA). He made seminal and internationally recognized contributions to our understanding of the fundamental molecular basis of cancer. Dr. Weber’s research focused on understanding cancer cell signaling, a nascent field at the time he initiated his studies, and how signaling can best be exploited for the treatment of prostate cancer, bladder cancer, melanoma and leukemias. He investigated the interactions between mutated oncogenes and developed new cancer therapies and therapeutic approaches. As a pioneer in team science, Dr. Weber was a major contributor to the discovery and analysis of the MAP Kinase pathway, including the identification of the activating sites of phosphorylation, the isolation of the first full-length clone, the demonstration of MEK enzymatic activity, the demonstration that oncogenic Ras could activate Raf, the demonstration that B-Raf could activate MEK, the generation of an antibody that recognizes the active state of the kinase and pioneering its use to evaluate cancer patients, and the definitive demonstration that Ras signaling could activate the androgen receptor. Dr. Weber is among the top 1% most-cited authors in the areas of Molecular Biology & Genetics; Biology & Biochemistry. As leader of the UVA Cancer Center from 2000 to 2013, he advocated that advances in the prevention and treatment of cancer required the integration of basic and translational research, a robust program of clinical trials, and compassionate patient care. His passion for science, and commitment to translational cancer research is best illustrated by his continued active and productive research work as Professor Emeritus. During this time, his research on compensatory survival signaling in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma led to the discovery of a novel drug combination therapy and a clinical trial for patients with those cancers.