Once again, MedSIR attended the 2019 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Atlanta was the city chosen this year to host this international congress that gathers experts from all sectors of the cancer community. Key opinion leaders in clinical oncology and top scientists from all around the world shared the latest developments in cancer research in the Georgia World Congress Center.
Among many other things, we were witnesses to the latest advancements in novel therapeutic strategies against cancer, like the use of oncolytic viruses or CAR-T cell therapy (and their potential synergies with immune checkpoint inhibitors). We were also able to learn about the latest trends in liquid biopsy to analyze circulating tumor cells and free tumor DNA, and its implications in diagnosis, prognosis, clonal tracking, monitoring and disease stratification.
The latest results in targeted therapy were also showcased, including promising preliminary results for MET and MEK inhibitors that bring new hope for pre-treated EGFR-positive lung cancer patients. And, of course, latest immunotherapy concepts continued to attract interest, with the presentation of several phase I/II clinical trials with many new drugs designed to inhibit immune-related targets other than the well-known PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4.
And just as important as the things we learnt are the people we met. In 6 hectic days, we were able to talk to renowned oncology researchers from many different countries, and had fascinating conversations with representatives from big pharma companies and small biotechs alike. We discussed how MedSIR could help all of them to develop their ideas for clinical research or their products for cancer treatment, and returned home with lots of homework and a ton of new ideas to foster exciting collaborations, in order to further our goal of improving the lives of cancer patients worldwide.
It was a fantastic conference, and we already look forward to the following AACR annual meeting next year. See you all in 2020 in San Diego!
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