One of the most exciting applications of cancer genomics is the development of liquid biopsies. Measuring circulating tumour cells or cell-free DNA in bodily fluid, liquid biopsies can be used to detect cancer, monitor treatment response and help map tumour evolution. Arming the clinician with in-depth molecular information in a non-invasive manner can influence clinical decision making, thus immense efforts are underway to develop reliable liquid biopsy assays.
However, challenges remain. Detecting tumour material in the sample is likened to finding a needle in a haystack and technological advances are needed to enable easier detection. Additionally, clinical uptake remains low due to a high false-negative rate and a lack of trust in the technologies.
Join us for Liquid Biopsy ONLINE – a virtual 4-part webinar series where we dive into the technological advances that are driving liquid biopsy development and how we can address the challenges facing clinical uptake.
Webinar 1: Precision medicine in the context of Liquid Biopsy and MRD
Tuesday, 21st September – 3pm BST/ 4pm CEST/ 10am EDT
Liquid biopsies can be utilised in a clinical setting to diagnose cancers, understand molecular drivers of cancer, track minimal residual disease and track treatment-resistant clones.
This webinar will focus on liquid biopsies in the context of precision oncology and how this can inform clinical decision making for improved patient outcomes.
Liquid biopsy for easy and difficult cancers – Tim Aitman, Professor, University of Edinburgh
ctDNA analysis for solid tumor MRD detection – Aadel Chaudhuri, Assistant Professor, Washington University School of Medicine
A personalized approach for MRD detection: the future of recurrent cancer and therapy monitoring – Bob Daber, Chief Scientific Officer, Oncology, Invitae
Webinar 2: Liquid biopsies in clinical trials
Thursday, 23rd September – 3pm BST/ 4pm CEST/ 10am EDT
Liquid biopsies have the potential to impact clinical trials and to prove the clinical utility, more large-scale clinical trials are needed. This webinar highlights some success stories and data from liquid biopsies in clinical trials.
Overview of the solid tumour MRD landscape – Chris Abbosh, Medical Oncology Clinician Scientist, UCL
IMvigor trial – Thomas Powles, Director, Barts Cancer Center
Liquid biopsies for faster diagnosis – Naureen Starling, Principal Investigator, Royal Marsden Hospital
Leading with Data: Tumor-informed MRD Testing Across Cancer Types – Angel Rodriguez, Medical Director, Oncology, Natera
Webinar 3: Moving from liquid biopsy research to clinical implementation
Tuesday, 28th September – 3pm BST/ 4pm CEST/ 10am EDT
Clinical uptake of liquid biopsies remains slow due to the high false negative rate and distrust. This webinar will focus on the move from bench to bedside and how we can address the challenges associated with clinical implementation.
Panellists:
Maria Jose Serrano, Associate Professor, University of Granada
Remond Fijneman, Associate Group Leader, Netherlands Cancer Institute
Anca Oniscu, Consultant Pathologist, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh
Angel Rodriguez, Medical Director, Oncology, Natera
Webinar 4: Novel biomarkers and other fluids
Thursday, 30th September – 3pm BST/ 4pm CEST/ 10am EDT
Liquid biopsies tend to measure circulating tumour cells or cell-free DNA in blood, but recently tumour-derived materials have been found in other bodily fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid or urine. This webinar will explore upcoming biomarkers which can be detected in bodily fluids, and other opportunities for detection.
Omics analysis of pancreatic cancer platelets reveals active “education”, and new liquid biopsy sources for cancer detection – Elisa Giovannetti, Principal Investigator & Associate Professor, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam
Application of single cell analysis in cerebrospinal fluid liquid biopsies– Bernhard Polzer, Group Head Of Cellular And Molecular Diagnostics, Fraunhofer ITEM
Liquid biopsy in cancer: the potential of circulating miRNAs – Athina Markou, Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Athens
Speakers
Tim Aitman, Professor, University of Edinburgh
Aadel Chaudhuri, Assistant Professor, Washington University School of Medicine
Bob Daber, Chief Scientific Officer, Oncology, Invitae
Chris Abbosh, Medical Oncology Clinician Scientist, UCL
Thomas Powles, Director, Barts Cancer Center
Naureen Starling, Principal Investigator, Royal Marsden Hospital
Maria Jose Serrano, Associate Professor, University of Granada
Remond Fijneman, Associate Group Leader, Netherlands Cancer Institute
Anca Oniscu, Consultant Pathologist, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh
Angel Rodriguez, Medical Director, Oncology, Natera
Elisa Giovannetti, Principal Investigator & Associate Professor, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam
Bernhard Polzer, Group Head Of Cellular And Molecular Diagnostics, Fraunhofer ITEM
Athina Markou, Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Athens
