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The virtual days will cover a wide range of licensed and experimental cancer treatments for solid tumours, explaining their biological mechanism of action at a molecular and cellular level. 

Thursday, December 3rd 2020: Molecular Mechanisms of Targeted Treatments for Solid Tumours

This study day will provide a picture of the current and future landscape of targeted cancer treatments. Over the course the morning, experienced cancer educator Dr Elaine Vickers guides you through the scientific concepts that underpin many of the most used targeted cancer treatments for solid tumours.

Beginning with the bigger picture – what we can and can’t target – she describes the mechanisms of action of the two main types of treatment: monoclonal antibodies that target cell surface proteins, and small molecules that block kinases. Many of these treatments target over-active, growth factor-controlled signalling pathways. Elaine will explain the function of these pathways in healthy cells and their defects in cancer cells. She’ll also describe why blocking these pathways sometimes works, and sometimes doesn’t. Lastly, Elaine turns her attention to other targets and to various biomarker tests to select the right approach for each patient. 

Friday, December 4th 2020: Molecular Mechanisms of Immunotherapies for Solid Tumours

The focus of this morning is on cancer’s relationship with the immune system, and how this knowledge is being used to improve the outlook of people with various solid tumours.

Our presenter, Dr Elaine Vickers, will focus much of her attention on the checkpoint inhibitor group of immunotherapies, which include PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 targeted antibody therapies. She describes how checkpoint inhibitors boost cancer-fighting T cells. She also highlights some of the lessons learned through the hundreds of clinical trials with checkpoint inhibitors that have taken place over the past decade. In the latter part of the morning, Dr Vickers explains other technologies, such as CAR T cell therapy, vaccine-based treatments and oncolytic viruses.