PCTRE Meeting: Two-way communication between bench and clinic

On 27-28 June 2013, the Swedish city of Malmö will host the 2nd Meeting on Prostate Cancer Translational Research in Europe. This meeting is truly unique as it fosters the vital cooperation between basic research and practice, offering multiple opportunities for researchers and practising urologists alike.

According to Prof. Anders Bjartell, the meeting’s local organiser, the main issue in translational research today is the establishment of a bi-directional communication between laboratories and clinical departments. The PCTRE meeting is perfectly geared to tackle this issue.

“At this meeting we make sure that the questions from the clinic are answered from the bench and vice versa,” explained Prof. Peter Mulders, chairman of the EAU Research Foundation which co-organises this event. “We will also be giving an overview of everything that is currently going on in European research on prostate cancer: many European programmes will be presented there, last updates will be given.”

“Because of the interaction between researcher and practitioners on the floor, the delegates will be hearing a very balanced discussion on the what might be the next step in the treatment of prostate cancer.”

This translational meeting provides a unique opportunity for researchers to understand how discoveries can be implemented in a clinical setting, whereas practising urologists will get first-hand insights into the challenges and ambitions of today’s PCa research.

“A wide range of research topics will be addressed, including genomics, animal models, stem cells, imaging and drug development,” stressed Prof. Bjartell. “Additionally, we will discuss a very pressing issue of networking and funding of large-scale research projects.”

“It is of utmost importance that we address the commercialisation of important discoveries and how clinical trials should be designed for a successful outcome. We also need to understand how newly developed advanced methods can be integrated in research projects.”

The scientific programme of this event will include a number of highly interactive sessions, among others dedicated to omics in personalised medicine, non-coding RNAs in prostate cancer, the integration of biomarkers into clinical utility and prostate cancer imaging in the next decade.

This meeting is also a unique opportunity for young experts to profile their work and make a step forward in the European research community. The organisers invite all researchers active in this field to submit their abstracts for presentation at this meeting.

For more information about the 2nd PCTRE Meeting, please visit the meeting website.

Registrations made before 1 June 2013 include admission to the Congress Dinner, free of charge.

This article first appeared in European Urology Today.