Cancer treatments in the spotlight at symposium

The first scientific conference on cancer took place recently with the participation of scientists from the biobank of the University of Cyprus.

CyBioS Mini Symposium 2023 CancerNow: From Benchside to Clinical Applications was organised by the Cyprus Biological Society on January 5, under the auspices of Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela.

MP and vice president of the Christina Apostolou Foundation, Andreas Apostolou, who is closely involved in cancer issues on a parliamentary and political level, gave the opening speech.

Having experienced cancer at a younger age, Apostolou, praised the organisation of the symposium. He noted that “great Cypriot scientists residing in Cyprus and America presented their papers and analysed the latest developments in the field of childhood and adult cancer, starting from the research part to the efforts for clinical applications of treatments”.

The symposium highlighted the latest technological advances in the way tumours are studied by Dr Loukia Karakosta (MD Anderson Cancer Centre, University of Texas), while Dr Maria Tsiarli (biobank.cy, University of Cyprus), spoke about brain cancer in adults and children, and new developments in understanding glioblastoma progression that give hope for the development of potential treatments. Also, Dr Loizos Loizou, spoke about cancer in children and adolescents in Cyprus over the past 30 years.

Dr Evangelia Loizou (Intelligencia) and Dr Iakovos Toumazi (MD Anderson Cancer Center) respectively gave a presentation on the use of artificial intelligence and mathematical models to predict the success of clinical trials and cancer prevention tactics. Dr Konstantinos Deltas (biobank.cy, University of Cyprus), spoke about the invaluable value of a biobank in the advancement of medical research, including cancer, and how important it is that Cyprus has acquired its own.

The extreme importance and necessity of having such scientific events in Cyprus, especially in the field of cancer, was highlighted both by the participation of the delegates, but also by the presence of representatives of research institutes, academics and physicians from all over Cyprus.

A representative of the EU Mission on Cancer also attended and stressed the importance of such scientific events in attracting funding for research in Cyprus from the European Union.

The conference took place at the Shacolas Educational Centre for Clinical Medicine.