Over 200 leading cancer researchers, healthcare professionals, patient advocates and industry representatives attended the 13th Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute (TSJCI) International Cancer Conference this year. The conference, entitled Transforming Cancer Research and Care: Changing Lives, was held on 14th and 15th April in Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, and officially opened by the Provost, Dr Linda Doyle.
Led by TSJCI Director Prof Lorraine O’Driscoll, the conference explored emerging fundamental, translational and clinical innovations that are shaping the future of cancer care. These incorporated the latest developments in cancer prevention, molecular and precision oncology, cancer immunology, and survivorship.
Highlights included the Keynote Burkitt Lecture, delivered by the 2026 Burkitt Medal recipient, Prof Charles Swanton from The Francis Crick Institute and University College London. Prof Swanton's talk was entitled Targeting Environmental and Ageing Induced Myeloid Mayhem: Preventing Lung Cancer and Age-Related Pathologies.
Other engaging discussions took place at the Young Onset Cancer session, opened by Prof Maeve Lowery and Dr Emily Harrod, which appraised the work of Ireland’s first OECE-accredited comprehensive cancer centre, and at the session on ‘How to put Research and Education at the heart of a successful Comprehensive Cancer Centre,'
Congratulations also to our poster award winners, sponsored by the All-Ireland Cancer Liquid Biopsies Consortium (CLuB), who were awarded for the following projects:
- 1st Place: Martin J Sutton, TSJCI: Personalised Drug Discovery Approach for Multiple Myeloma using an Ex Vivo Bone Marrow Microenvironment Model.
- 2nd Place: Gordon Greville, TSJCI: Immunosuppressive Sialic Acid Remodelling Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma Progression and Treatment.
- 3rd Place: Jiawei Li, RCSI: The Role of FKBPL on Tumour-Associated Macrophages in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
A sincere thank you to our sponsors and to everyone who contributed to making the event such a huge success, including organisers Dr Patricia Doherty and Ms Martha Finan. The collaborative spirit highlighted the strength of the global cancer community, and demonstrated optimism about the pace of progress in cancer research.
Pictured: (Row 1) Provost Dr Linda Doyle, Vice Provost and Chief Academic Officer Prof Orla Sheils, Prof John O'Leary. (Row 2) Dr Gerry Hanna, Prof Maeve Lowery, Prof Lorraine O'Driscoll. (Row 3) Dr Patricia Doherty, Ms Martha Finan.
Pictured: Prof Owen Smith, Prof Lorraine O'Driscoll, Prof Charles Swanton, Prof Maeve Lowery, Prof Gerry Hanna
