Current Advances in Liquid Biopsy - Discovery, Innovation & Clinical Application

Key Dates

Registration opens: 19 July 2021

Final registration closes: 18 October 2021

​Symposium dates: 21 - 22 October 2021
#TAS2021
BREAKING NEWS - ABSTRACT SUBMISSION EXTENDED

Welcome
On behalf of the organizing committee I invite you to attend the 7th Thomas Ashworth CTC & Liquid Biopsy Symposium 2021 to be held as a virtual event. Our objective was to hold the Symposium as an integrated in-person and virtual format, but the extended Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney has unfortunately meant this can no longer be the case.  

The Symposium will run over 2 days enabling us to cover cutting-edge advances in liquid biopsy translational research and clinical practice. The program will begin at 12noon on Thursday 21 October and close at 3.30pm on Friday 22 October. 

The aim of the Symposium is to enrich our understanding of the clinical application of liquid biopsy to advance precision oncology and improve patient outcome, as well as provide critical insights into the metastatic process and application of liquid biopsy in different contexts.. An exciting line up of invited international speakers who are leaders in the field, along with invited national speakers from across Australia, will be showcasing their liquid biopsy research.

​Topics that will be explored include circulating tumour cells, exosomes, methylated ctDNA, assay development, early detection, integration of liquid biopsy into clinical trials and precision oncology, treatment selection and monitoring as well as drug resistance monitoring. The health economics of liquid biopsy will be presented, along with discussion on the regulatory landscape.

This year we will again highlight the "Making an IMPACT" keynote presentation that will showcase an outstanding emerging Australian researcher who has made significant discovery or clinical  research impact.

There is also opportunity to submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations. All abstracts will be reviewed be a panel and those chosen for oral presentation will be notified prior to the Symposium. Submissions are welcome from all delegates. Generous prizes will be awarded for the best young investigator oral and poster presentations - the submission deadline has been extended to Friday 24th September 5pm so please submit an abstract.

Who should attend?
  • Translational/clinical researchers
  • Medical oncologists
  • Pathologists
  • Clinical trainees, PhD and other students
  • Pharmaceutical and diagnostic sector

​The organising committee maintains a philosophy of keeping registration costs as low as possible to encourage attendance and this is only possible due to the generous support of our sponsors. So please ensure to visit the exhibitor tables and check out their latest product offerings. 

We look forward to seeing you at the Symposium in October.

Associate Professor Kevin Spring
Convenor, 7th Thomas Ashworth CTC & Liquid Biopsy Symposium

International and National Keynote Speakers

Professor Razelle Kurzrock, MD, PhD
Worldwide Innovation Network (WIN) for Personalised Cancer Therapy, San Diego, USA​
​Professor Daniel Haber, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard University, Boston, USA
Professor Sarah-Jane Dawson, MBBS, PhD
Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne Australia
Professor Miletta Liu, MD
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Minnesota, USA​
Professor Maarten IJzerman, PhD
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Professor Nicola Aceto, PhD
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland​
Dr Jenny Lee, MBBS, PhD
Chris O'Brien Lifehouse and Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Dr Ira Deveson, PhD
Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics, Sydney, Australia
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors

Organizing Committee

A/Prof. Kevin Spring ( Convenor), Ingham Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney
A/Prof. Therese Becker, Ingham Institute, Sydney
A/Prof. Mark Cowley, Children's Cancer Institute, Sydney
A/Prof. Alex Dobrovic, University of Melbourne, Melbourne
A/Prof. Elin Gray, Edith Cowen University, Perth
Dr. Stephen Wong, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne
A/Prof. Craig Gedye, Calvary Mater Newcastle & Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, Newcastle
A/Prof. Chamindie Punyadeera, QUT, Brisbane
A/Prof. Katie Meehan, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Prof. Rik Thompson, QUT, Brisbane

For more information please contact A/Prof Kevin Spring  - k.spring@westernsydney.edu.au