The international conference “IMMUNO-model Second Annual Conference: From Pre-clinical Models to the Search for Biomarkers in Immuno-Oncology” was held in Bratislava from May 13th to 15th 2024. The conference was preceded by a meeting of Core Group members on May 13th.
The conference, which was organized by the Biomedical Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences was officially opened by the Director General Professor Silvia Pastoreková and project coordinator Eva Martínez Balibrea. The event had a hybrid format, with a total number of 125 participants, with 85 scientists from almost all European countries attending in person. There were 40 online conference participants.
A total of 27 interesting scientific lectures were presented at the conference. Among the most prominent speakers were Leticia Oliveira-Ferrer from Germany and Emmanuel Donnadieu from France. At the conference, relatively large blocks were also dedicated to discussions about the activities of individual working groups led by their leaders. 25 posters were presented in the poster sections.
The conference was held within the framework of the project – COST Action IMMUNO-model CA21135, which is dedicated to fostering research and innovation in preclinical immuno-oncology models and creating a collaborative network by bringing together European researchers from the academic, clinical, and industrial sectors. The theme of the conference was to showcase innovative experimental models that offer a link between laboratory research and clinical application, as well as offer insights into the complex interactions between the immune system, the tumor microenvironment, and immunotherapeutic interventions.
For more information, please visit the conference website www.immuno.sav.sk
Organizers and Scientific Committee:
Bozena Smolkova, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, SAS, Slovakia
Viera Horvathova Kajabova, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, SAS, Slovakia
Denis Collins, TGRC2 Leader, MC Member, Dublin City University, Ireland (for networking with clinicians)
Hanne Haslene-Hox, TGRC3 Leader, MC Member, SINTEF, Norway (for networking with the industry)
Katrin Kleinmanns, University of Bergen, Norway (representing WG2)
Cristiana Tanase WG1 coLeader, MC Member, Victor Babes National Institute of Pathology, Romania (representing WG1)
Christina Sakellariou, Lund University, Sweden (representing WG3)
Rosalinda Sorrentino, WG5 coLeader, UNISA, Italy (representing WG5)
René Winkler, IJC Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Spain (representing WG4)
A dedicated email address was done: immuno.model@savba.sk
In summary, the 2nd IMMUNO-model conference served as a dynamic platform for advancing the frontiers of cancer immunotherapy, bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise to drive meaningful progress in the fight against cancer.