How scientific congresses drive patient benefit
The participation in scientific congresses is firmly established in the event agenda of any pharmaceutical company. But what is happening behind the doors of congress centers? How do patients benefit from the participation of pharmaceutical representatives? Let’s shed some light.
Hot topic immune-oncology
“Scientific congresses are a main source for information and training”, says Flavio Solca, Group Leader Pharmacology at Boehringer Ingelheim. Alongside many colleagues the Vienna based researcher recently participated in the most important cancer congress ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) in Madrid. At the meeting some ground-breaking results of clinical trials were communicated which have the potential to change the standard of care. One hot topic at ESMO was immuno-oncology, a new approach that enables the body’s immune system to fight cancer. The new therapies enable immune cells to selectively recognize and attack cancer cells that were normally shielded to the immune system. Boehringer Ingelheim strongly focuses on research in cancer immunology. The company’s growing immune-oncology pipeline includes among others, a therapeutic cancer vaccine next generation checkpoint inhibitors and novel immune therapies.
Live discussions win over virtual information
There are several types of events within the congress schedule where knowledge and data are shared. During the plenary sessions, investigators from large pivotal clinical trials present their results, report new active treatments which might change standard of care. “Of course, this information could be communicated virtually as well”, says Solca. “However, without the questions and live discussions after these presentations we would miss significant information for our research.” The educational sessions are a bit smaller in number of participants, but are essential for training as the speakers share latest insights in medical practice. Huge congresses like the ESMO also offer dedicated sessions for patient advocates.
Sharing knowledge, giving insights
The presentation of scientific posters may seem a bit old-fashioned in the digital era but it stimulates interaction and gives researchers and investigators a place to present their findings face-to-face. “At present, one of the hot topics relates to precision medicine and novel tests performed on liquid biopsies that allow identification of patients for targeted treatment based on specific biomarker”, reports the BI researcher Solca. Biomarkers are for example circulating tumor cells, circulating free DNA carrying gene mutations or specific molecules that can be measured objectively and are associated with cancer. Liquid biopsies enable doctors to gather information about a tumor through a simple blood draw. Such a procedure is easy and much less invasive compared to surgical biopsies which can often, albeit not always, be used as an alternative source of information.
One team, one goal: Gathering information
Of course, a congress with such a wide variety of events can’t be covered by a single person. The Boehringer Ingelheim team at ESMO consisted of representatives from the medical department, from discovery research, colleagues from sales and marketing, the publications team, scientific relations experts, the PR team and international project managers. All functions involved in developing new and innovative cancer drugs, especially rely on congresses for continuous education, for interactions with investigators and for getting a sound understanding of the scientific state of the art, the treatment modalities and the competitive market. “In brief, a congress is an indispensable platform for exchange and knowledge transfer, which directly feeds into the development of new cancer drugs that will benefit cancer patients”, says Solca.