EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
The conference opened with five Educational Sessions designed to provide an overview of the techniques, technologies, and other important aspects of cancer research essential to molecular diagnostics. All sessions were held on Monday, September 17. The Education Sessions concluded with a panel discussion.
PANEL DISCUSSION
A special panel discussion addressing issues of “Regulatory Challenges to Biomarker Development” was held on Monday, September 17 as the final Educational Session. This session was led by Dr. Steven I. Gutman of the Food and Drug Administration.
OPENING SESSION
On Monday evening, September 17, the Opening Session was held in the Grand Ballroom East of the Atlanta Hilton. The evening began with a Welcoming Address by Dr. Margaret Foti, CEO of the AACR, and Introductory Remarks by Dr. David Sidransky, Conference Chairperson. Dr. Victor E. Velculescu of Johns Hopkins University presented the Keynote Address that discussed the applications of and insights into the cancer genome of two human cancer types, breast and colorectal cancer.
PLENARY SESSIONS
The Program included eight major sessions that were intended to provide state-of-the-art data on relevant scientific topics of interest to a wide spectrum of investigators. The Plenary Sessions featured presentations from three to four experts in various fields along with a talk from a highly rated proffered abstract.
POSTER SESSIONS
Over 110 abstracts were presented on Tuesday, September 18, and Wednesday, September 19. Each session presented abstracts on a range of topics.
PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT SESSION
A special session for young investigators provided an opportunity to meet recognized leaders in molecular diagnostics, cancer therapeutic development, and many of the related areas that were the focus of the conference. This “Meet-the-Experts” Roundtable session allowed participants to assess their career goals, discuss scientific issues, exchange ideas, and network with others working in these fields. This proved to be an invaluable opportunity for young investigators to receive guidance and insight from senior-level scientists about the opportunities and challenges in these areas of science and cancer medicine.