MEETING PROGRAM

08:30         Welcome coffee 

 

09:00         Start of symposium – Opening words by Prof. Cedric van Marcke (UCLouvain - Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc)

 

SESSION 1: Comprehensive cancer profiling through biomarkers

Chairs - Steven Van Laere (UAntwerp) & Philippe Aftimos (VUB)

 

09:10         Keynote speaker - Dr. Benedikt Westphalen (Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich, Germany)  

                    Decoding cancer: pan-tumoral biomarkers and comprehensive genomic profiling

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09:50        Invited speaker - Prof. Katleen De Preter (VIB-UGhent) 

                    Beyond mutations: unlocking the full potential of liquid biopsies

 

10:10          Selected abstract - Nele De Meulenaere (UAntwerp)

                    Proof-of-concept of DNA methylation-based multi-cancer detection in liquid biopsies using IMPRESS

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10:20         Selected abstract - Pierre Foidart (CHU Liège)

                    Whole-genome doubling promotes immune evasion in Triple Negative Breast Cancers by epigenetically silencing antigen

                    presentation pathways through PRC2 activity

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10:30         Coffee break 

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SESSION 2: Targeting cancer’s weaknesses: metabolism and drug discovery

Chairs - Damya Laoui (VUB) & Elena Benidovskaya (UCLouvain)

 

10:50         Invited speaker - Prof. Olivier Feron (UCLouvain)

                    Tumor metabolism: fueling cancer or its Achilles’ heel?

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11:10          Invited speaker - Dr. Matthias Versele (KULeuven)

                    High-throughput drug screening: accelerating precision medicine

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11:30          Selected abstract - Engy Vigneron (UCLouvain)

                    Role of tumor-stroma metabolic crosstalk in the resistance to anti-EGFR therapy in head and neck cancers

                       

11:40          Selected abstract - Thibault Lootens (UGhent)

                    Patient-derived tumor cuboids as an ex vivo screening platform for personalized drug testing in glioma

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11:50          Pitch your poster

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12:00         Lunch talk - Chris Zwanenburg, Business Lead, Oncology Europe, Illumina

                    Illumina: Genomic Innovations to Fight Cancer

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12:15          Lunch break & Poster session

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SESSION 3: The power of data: multi-omics and biostatistics in precision oncology

Chairs - Pieter Rondou (UGhent) & Pieter-Jan Volders (UHasselt)

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13:45          Keynote speaker - Prof. Stefan Michiels (Gustave Roussy Institute, France)

                      From data to decisions: how biostatistics shapes precision oncology

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14:25          Invited speaker - Prof. Steven Van Laere (UAntwerp)

                     Multi-omics: unraveling cancer through an integrated lens

 

14:45          Selected abstract  - Anisa Aliju (ULiège)

                     Metabolic control of mRNA translation as a vulnerability in lung cancer

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14:55          Selected abstract - Ahmed Hamouda (VUB)

                     Intratumoral delivery of lipid nanoparticle-formulated mRNA encoding IL-21, IL-7, and 4-1BBL induces anti-tumor immunity

 

15:05          Coffee break

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SESSION 4:  Next-generation cancer diagnostics: AI, digital pathology, and molecular imaging

Chairs - Cedric van Marcke (UCLouvain) & TBC (KULeuven)

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15:25          Keynote speaker - Dr. Maschenka Balkenhol (Radboudumc - Canisius Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis, The Netherlands)

                      AI in oncology: how digital pathology is transforming cancer diagnosis

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16:05          Invited speaker - Prof. Sophie Hernot (VUB)

                     Single-domain antibodies: a new era in molecular imaging and therapy

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16:25          Invited speaker - Dr Philippe Aftimos (ULB)

                     Belgian collaborative precision oncology trials: past, present and future

 

16:45         Closing words & Award ceremony 

 

17:00          Network reception 

 

18:00          End of symposium