Merging technological innovations and new knowledge about basic cancer biology, cancer researchers now target specific molecules involved in critical chemical pathways of cancerous cells.
The approach opens the door to more effective drug therapies and treatment strategies, advances that will be the focus of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics – the premier international meeting featuring novel cancer therapeutics – to be held October 22 to 26 at the Moscone West Convention Center, San Francisco, California.
Each year, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), jointly with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), brings together scientists and other professionals from around the world seeking to share the latest information in this field, otherwise known as molecular targets of cancer.
“We are in the midst of a remarkable period of exploration and experimentation in cancer research, with tools and technologies in place to put into practice what might only have been theory just a few short years ago,” said Sara A. Courtneidge, Ph.D., a co-chairperson on the Scientific Committee for the meeting and professor at The Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, California. “This meeting – where researchers can talk face-to-face about the latest information and reports from continuing studies – is a necessary part of the process of scientific discovery.”
More than 3,000 scientists and clinicians – from the laboratories of universities, medical centers and pharmaceutical companies worldwide – are gathering in San Francisco to present and discuss novel cancer research findings. The AACR has selected 24 scientific abstracts for presentation by their authors in five press briefings, each highlighting a critical or emerging area of molecular target research, such as: