iSBTc 23rd Annual Meeting

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October 31 - November 2, 2008
Westin Gaslamp Quarter Hotel
San Diego, CA

Program Purpose

Cancer therapies increasingly are relying on combination approaches to optimize efficacy. This includes the combination of biologic agents with classical chemotherapies or with molecular targeting agents. There has been increasing evidence that inflammation in particular is a double-edged sword with regard to cancer, both promoting and inhibiting tumor formation. There is also increased awareness of the need for better diagnostic and prognostic markers in cancer both for therapy selection and for monitoring efficacy through the use of genetic analysis.

The use of immunotherapeutic approaches has been widely considered the best chance for successful eradication of disseminated cancers. However, the use of combination therapies involving biologics also presents significant and novel challenges. The use of biologic approaches has significant scientific, regulatory and legal issues which require extensive interactions among investigators for their development and optimization in the clinic. Issues concerning trial design, tumor and patient selection, immune monitoring, safety and increasing efficacy all need to be continually addressed. This is particularly critical now with more use of novel combination therapies.

This 2008 iSBTc Annual Meeting will allow for:

  1. Exchange between basic and clinical researchers, thus improving the caliber of the science in both.
  2. Discussion on potential hurdles in biologic therapy from the regulatory and trial design perspective.
  3. Fostering mentoring of junior investigators on the state of research in today's environment and potential funding opportunities.
  4. Discussion of new and novel therapies based on the research presented.
  5. Interactions with biotechnology to allow access to new and novel agents for clinical development.