Our Masterclass series started on July 1 and runs until December as a virtual experience.
Update in Science
Our update in science was attended by over 50 participants on July 7 – thank you for coming and thank you to our wonderful speakers!
Please make the most of the videos and presentations available for your use below
Prof. Gabriele Dubini, Italy
How to find the right treatment, at the right time: Microfluidics can help!
Dr. Tony Dhillon, United Kingdom
Role of the immune response in early stage colorectal cancers, a new era in precision medicine
Dr. Estelle Cauchin, France
Personalised medicine in colorectal cancer
Prof. Eric Van Cutsem, Belgium
Update in digestive cancers – Q&A Session
About the speakers
Prof. Gabriele Dubini
Prof. Gabriele Dubini received his master degree (MSc) in Mechanical Engineering cum laude in 1988 and his PhD degree in Bioengineering in 1993 from Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
In 1993 and 1994 he worked as a Research Assistant in the Cardiothoracic Unit of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children – NHS Trust, London, UK. An Assistant Professor of Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer at the Energy Engineering Department of Politecnico di Milano (1996), he was then appointed Associate Professor (2001) and Full Professor (2007) of Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano.
From 2003 to 2007 Gabriele Dubini was the Director of the Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics (LaBS, www.labsmech.polimi.it) of Politecnico di Milano. He was a member of the Scientific Panel of the Coordination Centre on NanoBiotechnologies and Nanomedicine at Politecnico di Milano from 2007 to 2012. From 2008 to 2012 he was a member (elected) of the Council of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) and the Secretary-General for the 2010-12 biennium. He was the Coordinator of the Biological Engineering section (2013-16) and later Deputy Director (2017-19) of the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering ‘Giulio Natta’, Politenico di Milano.
Most of Gabriele Dubini’s research activity has dealt with experimental and computational Biomechanics. His research has covered a number of topics, such as microcirculation, the hemodynamic optimization of blood circulation after pediatric cardiac surgery procedures, heat and mass transfer in tissues and medical devices, preoperative planning of minimally invasive vascular procedures. His most recent research interests are in the field of the design and characterization of microfluidic devices for medical and biotechnological applications.
About His Scientific Update
Finding the right treatment for a patient is a big challenge, largely unmet. Today, we administer patients a drug based on the results of large studies conducted previously on other patients, so the treatment is rarely tailored to the needs of the patient, and the molecular features of the specific cancer.
A big step towards a more personalised medicine has been the introduction of organoids, three-dimensional assemblies of tumor cells that mimic remarkably well the behaviour, including the sensitivity to the drugs, of the respective tumor. The dream would be to take the cells from the patient’s tumor, generate organoids, and expose them to several drugs, so that we could choose the right treatment for the patients beforehand.
However, generating organoids is cumbersome. Within the frame of a CRUK/AIRC Accelerator Award, through an international collaboration between groups in the UK and in Italy, the team has been able to generate tiny organoids in small droplets, within a microfluidic device, where hundreds of drugs, and combinations, could be swiftly tested. Using this tool, the optimal combination of drugs could be forecast, bringing to the patient the right drugs, at the right concentration.
Dr. Tony Dhillon
Dr. Tony Dhillon is a Consultant Medical Oncologist based at The Royal Surrey Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He has been a consultant medical oncologist since 2010. He is a senior lecturer in Oncology at the University of Surrey and Imperial College London, looking into new treatment in GI cancers. He treats colorectal, liver, pancreas, biliary, NET and GIST tumours.
Dr. Dhillon trained in medical oncology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust hospitals and Chelsea and Westminster. He has a PhD from Imperial College London in cancer cell signaling, and has been a fellow and a lecturer at the University of Oxford
He has research interests in immune-oncology- currently the chief investigator of the POLEM trial in stage 3 colon cancer.
Dr. Dhillon is experienced with immune-oncology assay in colon cancer patients and uses precision medicine in his clinical decision making for his bowel cancer patients in UK.
About His Scientific Update
During his lecture, Dr. Dhillon will provide information on the role of patient’s immune response in early colorectal cancer and the best approach for patients and doctors to jointly manage treatment at this stage for improved patient outcomes.
Dr. Estelle Cauchin
Dr. Estelle Cauchin is a gastroenterologist, specialist in digestive oncology and digestive oncogenetics at the University Hospital of Nantes, France. A part of her activity is the management of patients with digestive cancers. The second part consists on the management of patients belonging to families at very high risk of digestive cancer with a goal of genetic counseling for preventive purposes. These two activities complement each other well with an aspect of prevention, therapeutic management and support for patients and their families.
About Her Scientific Update
Dr Estelle Cauchin will help you understand how personalization of treatment can improve patient outcomes and explain what are different tests that are being used through the journey of CRC patient.
Prof. Eric Van Cutsem
Prof. Eric Van Cutsem was trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology in Leuven and specialised later in GI oncology in Leuven, Belgium. He is currently Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Leuven and is head of the Digestive Oncology department at the University Hospital Gasthuisberg in Leuven, is board member of Leuven Cancer Institute and of the Department of Oncology at the University of Leuven.
Prof. Van Cutsem has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals. Eric Van Cutsem is/was a board member of several scientific organizations, such as the ESMO faculty, the EORTC-GI group, PETACC (Pan-European Trials on Adjuvant Colon Cancer), the EORTC and the European Society of Digestive Oncology (ESDO) and the European NeuroEndocrine Tumour Society (ENETS) registry.
About His Scientific Update
As one of the co-founders of Digestive Cancers Europe, Prof. Van Cutsem is always present at our Masterclass events and provides us with the most important up-dates in the field of digestive oncology. Prof. Van Cutsem is also always there to address the questions our audience might have.
Thanks in advance to all the speakers for their time and active participation!
Our gratitude goes to our generous event sponsors!
