Many of the world's leading laboratory scientists, geneticists, researchers, physicians and technicians are gathering this spring to address current challenges in oncology diagnostics and therapies and ignite solutions for improving patient care. Held on 30 April- 2 May in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Europe Congress 2018 will feature more than 30 exhibiting companies, 18 educational sessions, 70 poster presentations, and many cutting-edge lectures and plenary sessions focusing on the major areas of clinical molecular oncology.
The introduction of large-scale genomic technologies has catalysed discoveries in translational oncology and is driving new research that aims to dissect selective responses to targeted, immune-driven therapies and chemotherapies. However, the concept of precision cancer medicine still remains more of a promise, rather than a solid and robust reality, at this point.
AMP Europe 2018 will provide opportunities for premier molecular professionals to engage with industry leaders from around the world. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the current advances, challenges and innovative solutions for this rapidly evolving field. The detailed scientific program is now online. Prominent sessions and speakers include:
'Recent advances in liquid biopsies: challenges and solutions' - Dr Klaus Pantel, professor and director of the department of tumour biology at the University of Hamburg's University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf..
'Harnessing RNA targeting CRISPR systems for transcriptome engineering and human health'- Dr Omar Abudayyeh, PhD student in Feng Zhang's laboratory at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
'Next-generation pathology molecular diagnostics: combining DNA and RNA analysis for treatment' - Dr René Bernards, professor of molecular carcinogenesis, Utrecht University, and head of the section of molecular carcinogenesis at the Netherlands Cancer Institute.
'Simultaneous analysis of cancer clones and immune microenvironments through single-cell RNA sequencing'- Dr Trevor Pugh, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada.
'Emerging knowledge: immunotherapies'- Dr Carl Figdor, professor and director of the Centre for Molecular Life Sciences, and department head for tumour immunology at Radboud University in the Netherlands; and Dr Hugo Horlings, pathologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute.
'Turning little data into big data: data science and the omics' - Dr Mark Hoffman, director of bioinformatics core and associate professor of biomedical health informatics and paediatrics at the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) - Dr William Dalton, founding director of the Moffitt Cancer Center's Personalized Medicine Institute.
'Practice guidelines for validation, interpretation and reporting of NGS-based oncology tests' - Dr Marina Nikiforova, professor of pathology and director of the Molecular Genomic Pathology Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
The topics to be discussed include:
AMP is the premier organisation representing the needs and interests of the international molecular diagnostics community. Founded in 1995, AMP is a not-for-profit scientific society that advances the clinical practice, science, and excellence of molecular and genomic laboratory medicine through education, innovation and advocacy to enable the highest quality healthcare. AMP has more than 2,400 members who include individuals from academic and community medical centres, government and industry; pathologist and doctoral scientist laboratory directors; basic and translational scientists; technologists; and trainees. AMP members influence policy and regulation around the globe, ultimately serving to advance innovation in the field and protect patient access to high-quality, appropriate testing.
