Keith L. Black, M.D., neurosurgeon and brain cancer researcher, will speak at TEDMED3, a conference featuring innovators in several fields related to technology, information and medicine that will be held June 11 through 14 at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Designer and author Richard Saul Wurman in 1984 founded the first of more than 12 TED (Technology/Entertainment/Design) conferences, bringing together presenters from seemingly unrelated industries such as music, science and information technology - disciplines that have since become increasingly connected.
Wurman launched the first TEDMED in 1995, extending the TED concept to include the technologies of medicine and communication - methods of sharing, interpreting, understanding and using the vast amounts of information available in the digital age. TEDMED3 is designed to "present to a select and forward-thinking audience the finest minds, newest discoveries and most mind-expanding ideas and possibilities ..."
Dr. Black founded Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute in 1997 after a decade of conducting research and developing innovative therapies against brain tumors at the University of California, Los Angeles. With a particular interest in the most aggressive and deadly types of brain tumors, he and his colleagues continue to identify molecular and genetic mechanisms that enable tumor cells to proliferate and evade the immune system. They have recently published several articles on newly devised immune therapies that appear to effectively kill cancer cells, even tracking and destroying those that migrate from the tumor itself.
In addition, Dr. Black is internationally recognized for his innovative treatment approaches and his research into the blood-brain barrier. A natural biochemical mechanism intended to protect the brain from toxic injury, the blood-brain barrier has prevented cancer-killing chemicals from reaching tumor cells. But discoveries made by Dr. Black and his associates dramatically increased the amount of drug delivered to tumors without impacting normal tissue nearby.
In his presentation, which will take place during the evening session of Wednesday, June 11, Dr. Black will share his impressions not only of the physical dimension of the brain but of the more spiritual dimension of the mind.
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