Keynote speaker

Dr. Vishva M. Dixit, a trained pathologist, is a pioneering scientist whose research has fundamentally shaped our understanding of cell death and inflammatory signaling. He is best known for his groundbreaking discovery that a cysteine protease (caspase) plays a crucial role in the death receptor-induced apoptotic pathway—a revelation that paved the way for his laboratory and others to map the entire "death cascade."

Born in Kenya, Dr. Dixit earned his medical degree from the University of Nairobi and gained clinical experience at Kenyatta National Hospital before pursuing a residency in pathology at Washington University in St. Louis. He began his academic career at the University of Michigan in 1986, where he rose to the rank of Professor in the Department of Pathology. In 1997, he transitioned to Genentech, where he currently serves as Vice President of Research and continues to drive innovation in biomedical science.

Dr. Dixit’s contributions have received numerous accolades. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, along with being a Foreign Member of both the Royal Society (ForMemRS) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. His influence on biomedical research was further recognized in 2022 with the prestigious Heineken Prize for Medicine and the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science.

In addition to his research, Dr. Dixit significantly influences scientific and medical progress through his service on the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Medical Advisory Board and the External Scientific Advisory Group at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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