We met in Lyon, France for our conference Cellular Bases for Patient Response to Cancer Therapies in November 2023. The event was praised for its inspiring talks, excellent organisaton and ideal location at the Centre de Congrès de Lyon.

Supported by Worldwide Cancer Research, we were delighted to award several Travel Grants to help cancer researchers in need of financial assistance to attend the event.

Read on to learn about their experience of the conference.


1Anxo Río Vilariño

PhD Student, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Spain

Research: Most deaths from colorectal cancer occur because the cancer spreads, known as metastasis, which happens in 85% of cases. Cetuximab is a common treatment, but it does not work for 40% of people, and we are not sure why. Our research found that a certain factor, the AURKA/YAP1 axis, can predict if someone won’t respond well to Cetuximab. If we can target and block this factor, it might make cetuximab more effective for a larger group of patients. This could be a step toward better treatment for colorectal cancer.

How was this conference different from others you have attended?

This conference dealt with the specific topic of drug resistance, which is relatively uncommon. This was extremely enriching because I was able to learn about other ways of approaching problems similar to mine and discuss how I could improve my research.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

I have been able to learn new approaches to the development of patient-derived organoid models that I had not yet been able to develop during my thesis. In addition, since I work on cancer stem cells, I was able to discuss with my colleagues different strategies to classify cells based on this phenotype by using different biomarkers.

Did you take part in any interesting local activities?

Yes, I visited the main monuments of the city and was able to taste the local gastronomy in several traditional French restaurants.

Have you brought back any specific knowledge that has benefited your research?

Yes, I was able to learn more about the different biomarkers used for cancer stem cell identification as well as the limitations of these and their variability among different tumor types. I was also able to learn more about the application of bioinformatics techniques to the stratification of tumors based on affective response status.

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2David Hackett

PhD Student, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Research: My research aims to improve how pancreatic cancer cells respond to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy using small pieces of genetic material. One specific piece of genetic material, called miR-31, is often lost in pancreatic cancer cells. This loss drives their growth but also alters how they respond to conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Paradoxically, we have found that higher levels of this genetic material in pancreatic cancer cells cause them to become more resistant to certain chemotherapy drugs. Lowering the level of this genetic material inside the cancer cells results in a reversal of resistance to treatment.

What was a personal highlight of the conference for you?

The poster session where I presented my work was a personal highlight. I enjoyed discussing my findings with other attendees who stopped by my poster, many of whom were intrigued. I received excellent questions as well as suggestions for future work. As an early-stage researcher, I greatly benefited from this experience, gaining valuable advice from more experienced and extremely talented researchers from across the globe.

Were there any social or networking highlights you want to tell us about?

I met a fellow pancreatic researcher, Manoj Amrutkar, from Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet during the first day’s poster session. I had a lengthy discussion with him about his research and the difficulty that lies in treating pancreatic cancer. Manoj has been studying pancreatic cancer for seven years, focusing on overcoming chemoresistance from a different angle compared to my own research. We discussed various experimental techniques and the biology of several pancreatic cancer cell lines.

How was this conference different from others you have attended?

This conference was special for me as it directly related to my current line of research, understanding patient responses to current anti-cancer treatments. Hugues de Thé emphasised that chemotherapy has been around for decades and has saved the lives of many cancer patients; however, we still don’t fully understand how it works. Since my work focuses on improving responses to conventional treatments, it was refreshing to hear such discussions. The conference opened the floor for researchers to share cutting-edge data on targeted therapies to improve responses to chemotherapy and radiation, genomics as predictors in cancer clinical trials, organoids as novel tools for functional precision medicine, to name a few. I learned an enormous amount from such talks, which I can take back to my home lab. Both the poster sessions and talks sparked ideas for my own research, for which I’m extremely grateful.

Did you take part in any interesting local activities in your free time outside of the conference?

I visited la passerelle Paul-Couturier and the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. These sites were very picturesque.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

Yves Pommier shared his experience and knowledge during the open panel discussion, inspiring me. To paraphrase, he said, ‘Don’t be afraid to experience and try new things, stepping outside your comfort zone.’ In this context, he mentioned going to a new lab in a different part of France, where he ended up excelling. Pommier also instilled hope in my own research, emphasising that failure isn’t often discussed in research and that learning from mistakes is key. I will remind myself of this advice as I continue my Ph.D. journey, considering the position Pommier holds today.

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3Daniela Schulz

Postdoctoral Researcher, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany

Research: My research focuses on the regulation and function of PD-L1 in head and neck cancer. Most researchers familiar with PD-L1 think of it as membrane-bound ligand that binds to the receptor of cytotoxic T cells shutting them down to evade attack by the immune system. However, recent research shows that PD-L1 is much more than an immunoregulatory protein. PD-L1 expression and localization is dynamic and mediates several other aggressive tumor characteristics such as proliferation, cell motility and resistance to common therapies such as radiation. More insights into how PD-L1 operates may hopefully help to overcome immune checkpoint resistance in the future.

What was a personal highlight of the conference for you?

I was very excited when I saw the announcement that the EACR will be hosting a conference with the focus on Cellular Bases for Patient Response to Cancer Therapies. This fits perfectly into my area of research since we are working to find out why patients with head and neck cancer develop resistance to radiotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibition. I was curious about the latest research findings and enjoyed getting an insight into the variety of topics presented.

Were there any networking highlights you want to tell us about?

I was very fortunate to meet a professor who, although working on a different topic, had a similar experience to mine. We both made a discovery that contradicted the well-established opinion about a specific cellular localisation of the protein we were studying. To prove the scientific community otherwise, takes a lot of effort. We had a great conversation and this common experience gave us an instant bond, so that we are now also planning to collaborate in the future.

Did you take part in any interesting local activities in your free time outside of the conference?

I am happy that the organisers chose the beautiful city of Lyon as the venue for the conference. It’s a beautiful city that I was able to visit for the first time. I was told that Lyon is famous for its delicious food and it was not disappointing at all. In addition, I have to acknowledge that the food at the conference was really fantastic.

How has this conference inspired you in your research?

For me, the Meet the Expert session was really inspiring, where a young successful woman in science and an established researcher talked about their personal journey in scientific research. Both emphasised the importance of always keeping your eyes open and networking. One of their pieces of advice was to “take every opportunity”. I did the same when I applied for the EACR Travel Grant. I am very grateful for the support of the EACR, that gave me the opportunity to attend this inspiring conference and meet a new international collaboration partner. Moreover, having a successful woman as a role model in the session fired up the inner feeling of becoming a professor myself and lead my own team in the near future.

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4Gizem Damla Yalçın

PhD Candidate, Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Research: My current research objective is to investigate the manner in which cancers evolve and develop resistance to therapies. Recently, there have been significant advancements in Patient-Derived Organoid (PDO) technologies, which now possess the capability to successfully mimic both the characteristics of the disease and the response to drug treatment. In collaboration with hospitals, we have completed the establishment of a PDO biobank, marking its first occurrence in Turkey. This biobank will enable us to evaluate drug sensitivities within the context of each individual patient and to test the effectiveness of treatment options derived from the pre-clinical setting. Furthermore, to categorise the response to different second line therapies, it is our aim to employ next-generation sequencing (NGS) to determine the underlying genetic and phenotypic factors that drive treatment resistance.

How was this conference different from others you have attended?

As the scope of the topic is more specialised, I had the opportunity to follow current studies in my own research. There was a very good balance of clinical and basic science presentations. Poster presentation times were ample and sufficient, and there was enough time to examine each poster. I really liked the Meet the Expert session, which I had not seen in previous conference programmes. Through this, I learned how real experts in their field manage the challenges of their work. The advice each of them gave was invaluable. It made me feel that I am not alone in the problems I face in my research and projects.

Were there any social or networking highlights you want to tell us about?

One thing that I found important at the conference was that the poster presentation times were sufficient. I had time to read every poster, and I had the opportunity to meet many people in front of the posters thanks to the long poster sessions provided at the meeting. A professor asked detailed questions about my work, took my contact information for future collaboration, and we are in communication for future work.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

I was particularly impressed and excited by the presentation of Fanny Jaulin from the Gustave Roussy Institute. Learning that the work we have started with a small group of patients is being carried out with much larger groups of patients in this oncology centre and that they are offering better and more effective treatment options for patients with the methods used, has positively increased my enthusiasm for my own research. It was informative and exciting to realise that my current PhD project could have an impact in the clinic in the future and to guide my future job opportunities in this field.

When you got home, is there anything from the conference that you immediately wanted to tell your colleagues about?

I talked about the short highlights from the presentations and the Meet the Expert sessions. A session where you can ask questions to experts in the field was also of interest to my friends, and they found it positive. I think it is a nice session that can be added to every EACR conference and can touch the lives of every student.

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5Sameer Kumar Panda

PhD Student, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Italy

Research: Within the tumour microenvironment, mesenchymal stem cells transfer their mitochondria to cancer cells. This transfer increases the cancer cells’ resistance to traditional chemotherapy drugs by enhancing the expression of drug efflux transporters and hypoxia-inducing factors.

What was a personal highlight of the conference for you?

The conference was exceptional. The presented topics were innovative and informative, providing valuable take-home messages from the session talks and posters. Connecting with fellow researchers from around the globe was a highlight of the conference. Additionally, receiving the esteemed Travel Grant award was an excellent addition to my experience as a researcher.

Were there any social or networking highlights you want to tell us about?

This EACR conference was a great platform to meet and connect with researchers from diverse fields of study. Fortunately, during the coffee break and poster session, I met some exciting researchers and had a healthy discussion about my research work, which fostered some new ideas. Now, I am keen to contact them for potential collaboration.

Did you take part in any interesting local activities in your free time outside of the conference?

Yes, I was accompanied by five other participants from the conference, and we did a walking city tour. Basilica of Notre Dame of Fourviere, Theatre Gallo Romania de Lyon-Fourviere, and Bartholdi Fountain are to mention some of them.

When you got home, is there anything from the conference that you immediately wanted to tell your colleagues about?

After the conference, I had a discussion with my supervisor and colleagues about the suggestions I received. I also informed them about the positive feedback we received from people. We are considering contacting some of the researchers again and planning to get in touch with some of the exhibitors as well.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

I found some of the keynote speakers’ talks to be truly inspiring, particularly those by Dr. Scott Lowe, Dr. Celine Vallot, and Dr. Clemens Schmitt. Additionally, I gained some valuable insights and recommendations from the other participants during the poster session. The panel discussion was also quite helpful, as it provided an opportunity for casual conversation about the research experiences of eminent scientists, which was particularly beneficial for a young researcher like myself.


Interested in EACR Conferences and further Travel Grants?

We organise a variety of excellent cancer research conferences, both in person and virtual, where the latest research topics and interaction for participants are the very highest priorities.

To assist researchers who need financial assistance to attend our in-person conferences, we offer EACR-Worldwide Cancer Research Travel Grants. Recipients also get the opportunity to present their work as an oral or poster presentation. Each Travel Grant includes a free registration and funds to support travel and accommodation costs.

Make sure you add the dates of upcoming EACR Conferences to your diary now. Don’t forget we offer EACR member discounts on all of our registration fees!