The 43rd Early Detection Research Network Steering Committee meeting, convened at UNMC on Sept. 23-25, brought together experts from more than 23 institutions to discuss advances in biomarkers research and early detection strategies.
The meeting served as a platform for exchanging ideas, presenting findings and fostering collaborations across the cancer research community.
The meeting began with a welcome from Joann Sweasy, PhD, director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. “We are honored to be part of the Early Detection Research Network of the National Cancer Institute,” Dr. Sweasy said. “This esteemed group of investigators, including the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center members, is making remarkable strides in developing novel biomarkers for early cancer detection — efforts that save lives.”
Sudhir Srivastava, PhD, senior scientific officer and chief of the cancer biomarkers research group at the National Cancer Institute, provided an overview of the Early Detection Research Network’s progress over the past year. He highlighted advancements in biomarker discovery and validation and innovative approaches to early cancer detection.
A special session featuring foundational talks from key principal investigators at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center concluded the session on day one. It included: Michael (Tony) Hollingsworth, PhD; Raymond Bergan, MD; Maneesh Jain, PhD; Apar Kishor Ganti, MD, and Juan Santamaria, MD.
“One of the key focuses of the meeting was to ensure that scientific advances are directed toward supporting early detection. When diagnosed early, survivors have a greater chance of longevity and living a healthy life,” said Surinder Batra, PhD, associate director of translational research at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
The following days saw sessions from the Biomarker Development Lab, with presentations by researchers including Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD, and Paul Boutros, PhD. Discussions on early onset cancers featured insights from experts including Karen Anderson, MD, PhD, and Aasma Shaukat, MD. Andy Hoofnagle, MD, PhD, provided a practical guide on establishing CLIA-certified labs for cancer biomarker testing, followed by a panel discussion on cancer biomarkers and artificial intelligence.
“This was an amazing meeting. Cancer death rates are declining largely due to our ability to increasingly detect it earlier,” said Dr. Bergan, deputy director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
The final day ended with roundtable discussions that included spatiomics and digital pathology, proteogenomics, virus-related cancers and academic-industrial partnerships.