DSR Sarma Lectureship in Oncologic Pathology: A tale of two sarcomas
As part of our Monday seminar series, we are delighted to welcome our speaker:
Talk title: DSR Sarma Lectureship in Oncologic Pathology: "A tale of two sarcomas: Spatial and single-cell views of the order, chaos and hidden landscapes of chromosomal instability"
Dr. Nischalan Pillay, PhD
Professor of Cellular Pathology
University College London Cancer Institute, UK
Hosted By
Dr. Sangeetha Kalimuthu, FRCPath
How to join
The event will be in person only, no need to register.
MSB 2172
Medical Sciences Building
University of Toronto
1 King’s College Circle
Toronto, ON M5S 1A8
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Debb Yorke at lmp.chairadmin@utoronto.ca.
Speaker: Dr. Nischalan Pillay, PhD
Nischalan Pillay is Professor of Cellular Pathology at the UCL Cancer Institute and an Honorary Consultant Histopathologist at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. He trained originally as a medical doctor and pathologist in South Africa, before moving to the UK where he completed specialist pathology training, gained Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists, and undertook a PhD in Cancer Genetics at UCL.
Over the past decade, Professor Pillay has developed into a leading clinician‑scientist at the interface of pathology, cancer genomics, and computational and spatial biology, with a particular focus on sarcoma and chromosomal instability. His work on the understanding of genomic instability in sarcoma, has led to the development of influential machine‑learning approaches to copy number analysis in cancer, and now widely used in the field.
His research integrates whole‑genome sequencing, single‑cell and spatial technologies, and AI‑enabled digital pathology to interrogate highly complex tumour ecosystems. Building on these discoveries, his programme is now expanding into novel therapeutic directions, including the development of proteolysis‑targeting chimeras, or PROTACs, to selectively degrade sarcoma‑specific fusion proteins — an approach that directly connects deep genomic insight with innovative drug design.
Alongside discovery and translation, Professor Pillay is deeply committed to open science, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the training of the next generation of clinical academic pathologists. He serves on multiple national and international committees, and reviews frequently for top ranking journals and grant committees.
