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Conference Details - Overview

Seventh International Congress on Targeted Therapies in Cancer

Renaissance Mayflower Hotel
Washington, DC
Aug 22-24, 2008

Conference Overview

Summary and Purpose

The Seventh International Congress on Targeted Therapies in Cancer has been designed to provide participants with cutting-edge information on the novel targeted anticancer therapies that are being developed, highlighting the mechanisms of action of and the most current clinical data on those agents. The congress will detail the multiple signaling pathways that are disrupted in cancer as well as novel targeted approaches that specifically affect aberrant signaling in tumor cells, such as PI3K, Akt, and Src inhibitors; agents directed against receptor tyrosine kinases such as insulin-like growth factor receptor and c-Met receptor; agents targeting angiopoietin and the tumor stroma; heat shock protein inhibitors; agents disrupting the cell cycle, cell division, and DNA repair processes; agents targeting molecules involved in developmental pathways; and agents that harness the body’s own immune system to combat neoplastic disease. The congress will also cover novel therapeutic and drug discovery platforms and will explore efforts to finetune monoclonal antibody effectiveness through combinatorial approaches. Furthermore, the impact on future therapeutic strategies of customizing cancer treatment based on the molecular properties of the tumor will be debated.

As the burgeoning field of targeted therapies continues to evolve, there is a clear need for physicians to be continuously updated on the most recent efficacy and safety data on these new classes of agents. This congress will use didactic learning and panel discussions to provide an educational program that allows physicians to keep abreast of these rapid developments.

Target Audience

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this congress, you should be able to:

• Summarize the key issues in biologic target identification and validation and the efficient development of novel anticancer therapeutics
• Define the rationale for and evaluate clinical data on agents targeting growth factor receptors such as insulin-like growth factor receptor and c-Met receptor
• Describe signaling through intracellular pathways and assess the feasibility of heat shock protein inhibitors, PI3K inhibitors, and Akt/Src inhibitors as anticancer agents
• Review immunotherapeutic strategies employed in the treatment of lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma
• Compare the drug discovery platforms that are being developed to analyze promising novel targeted agents
• Identify the potential for use of stem cells in anticancer therapy
• Assess the feasibility of agents, such as Notch and hedgehog inhibitors, that target cellular components involved in developmental processes in anticancer therapy
• Review current data correlating different biomarkers with response to EGFR-targeted therapy and resistance to HER2-targeted therapy
• Illustrate the potential of monoclonal antibody therapy in targeting cell surface receptors involved in cancer pathogenesis
• Discuss the mechanisms of action of and evaluate clinical data on agents targeting the tumor microenvironment
• Explain the potential of biomarkers in predicting response to treatment with antiangiogenic agents
• Contrast different strategies for biomarker analyses, including molecular profiling and functional imaging, in predicting response to cancer therapy and select their appropriate use in clinical trial design
• Evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of agents that disrupt the cell cycle, cell division, and DNA repair processes