Daily programme - 09 June 2026

This interactive session focuses on grant funding, offering participants direct access to funders and grantmakers. Each expert will give a 5-minute introduction, outlining their role, funding priorities, and perspectives on the grant-making process. A moderator will pose follow-up questions to deepen the discussion and highlight practical insights. The session then opens to the audience for an open “Ask Me Anything” Q&A, encouraging candid questions and active participation. Designed as a fully interactive format, the session includes no slides or screens, prioritizing conversation and direct engagement.

Join Atlas Antibodies for an exploration into the evolution of spatial proteomics, rooted in the 20-year legacy of the Human Protein Atlas (HPA). This symposium demonstrates how the rigorously validated primary antibodies that built the HPA are now driving advanced functional discovery in cancer research. The session will cover two key technical workflows: Atlasplex, a streamlined solution for targeted 3-5 marker multiplexing, and Molboolean, an innovative technology using rolling circle amplification to detect protein-protein interactions in situ. Attendees will learn how to bridge the gap between static tissue maps and dynamic functional insights, utilizing high-certainty reagents to characterize cellular "neighborhoods" and molecular interactions. Whether you are looking to optimize your multiplexing efficiency or investigate protein-protein complexes, this session provides a practical roadmap for turning routine IHC into high-dimensional data.

Liquid biopsy is widely used for cancer detection and monitoring, but DNA-based approaches remain limited in early-stage sensitivity and dynamic biological insight. We present a nanopore-enabled RNA liquid biopsy platform that profiles full-length cell-free RNA (cfRNA) from blood which has the potential to enable early detection, longitudinal monitoring, and precision oncology applications. Long-read nanopore sequencing of samples from healthy, precancerous, and early-stage cancer research subjects reveals over 270,000 previously unannotated cfRNA transcripts, enabling construction of an expanded transcriptome reference. Machine learning enables accurate research classification of precancer and cancer while capturing pathway-level signals, including metabolic, mitochondrial, and immune checkpoint activity. This approach provides real-time, systemic readouts of tumor activity from blood, with the future potential to enable patient stratification, residual disease assessment, and monitoring of therapeutic response and emerging resistance. The platform is designed for integration with clinical workflows and DNA-based assays, supporting future, scalable deployment across diagnostic and clinical trial settings. This framework establishes a path to integrate RNA-based profiling with DNA-based approaches, potentially enhancing the impact and utility of multiomic liquid biopsies across detection, monitoring, and treatment.

Room P1+2+3

Poster and Exhibition Hall

Exhibition and Poster Hall

Room P1+2+3

Poster and Exhibition Hall

Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) provides ultrasensitive, quantitative detection of low-frequency tumour variants in plasma and tissue, reliably identifying mutations below 1% allele frequency. In metastatic breast cancer, ddPCR detects ESR1 mutations (reported in >60% of patients) and enables circulating tumour DNA monitoring; its clinical value is supported by a European early access program and helps guide personalised therapy, including selective estrogen receptor degraders. In metastatic NSCLC, where response biomarkers for chemo-immunotherapy are limited, the B-IO study tracks tumour-informed, patient-specific mutations by longitudinal multicolor ddPCR in 73 stage IV patients after TKI progression to predict treatment response.

This session, sponsored by biomodal, will introduce the duet cfDNA solutions as complete integrated genetic and epigenetic workflows and software. The duet cfDNA solutions unlock the broadest spectrum of biomarkers, with market leading accuracy, from a single low input cfDNA sample, enabling ultra-low LoD for the detection of ctDNA. Talks will demonstrate how, in a liquid biopsy setting, 6-base data detects cancers earlier than other methylation sequencing approaches across multiple cohorts. Additional data will show how 6-base data enables a better understanding biological mechanisms of prostate cancer treatment response than existing liquid biopsy approaches.

Dr. Wiesner will highlight how Advanced Cell Diagnostics and Lunaphore, Bio-Techne brands, are transforming the future of oncology research and precision medicine with spatial biology tools. Dr. Karen, from the Weizmann Institute of Science, will talk about how modern lung cancer treatment depends on multiple biomarkers, but current diagnostic workflows exhaust small biopsies and slow down life-saving therapy decisions. Her team developed a multiplexed imaging approach that reads dozens of markers from one tissue section, enabling comprehensive diagnosis while conserving tissue and shortening turnaround time. The last talk will present the application of RNAscopeTM, BaseScopeTM, and COMETTM technologies for highly sensitive spatial detection of RNA molecules, point mutations, and proteins at single-cell resolution.

(open to EACR Early Career & Student Members, pre-registration required)

Discover how 3D chromatin organization acts as a master regulator of leukemia biology, learn cutting-edge approaches to profile spatial genome architecture in cancer, and understand how linking chromatin structure to gene expression networks can identify new precision medicine strategies for improving patient outcomes. • Learn how 3D chromatin conformation capture can distinguish leukemia subtypes and pinpoint their cells of origin by mapping lineage-defining regulatory hubs. • Explore how 3D genome profiling uncovers intra‑tumor heterogeneity in T‑ALL, providing new biomarkers to anticipate and monitor therapy response. • See how chromatin interaction matrices expose structural variants and enhancer hijacking events that drive oncogene activation and leukemic transformation.

Over three decades, 3DHISTECH has advanced digital pathology through comprehensive 2D imaging solutions spanning the entire diagnostic workflow. Yet tissue is inherently three dimensional. The Pannoramic X micro CT introduces a breakthrough in 3D digital pathology by enabling ultra-high resolution imaging of intact FFPE blocks, macroblocks, and large specimens without sectioning or staining. Using soft X ray virtual slicing and staining, it preserves tissue integrity while revealing unprecedented morphological and biomarker detail. Integrated with advanced visualization and AI driven analysis, the system enhances tumor assessment, cancer staging, and research applications. The future of pathology is volumetric—unlocking deeper insight through true 3D tissue exploration.

Understanding tumor biology requires both spatial context and deep molecular insight. In this session Heidi Haikala (University of Helsinki) will share her latest research on tumor–immune interactions in lung cancer, highlighting how advanced transcriptomic approaches can uncover complex biology in the tumor microenvironment. René-Filip Jackstadt (DKFZ) will present new findings on colorectal cancer progression in space and time, including first data generated using Atera In Situ. Together, these talks illustrate how cutting-edge single cell & spatial technologies are expanding our ability to study cancer in its native context.

Room P1+2+3

Poster and Exhibition Hall

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a primary driver of mortality in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), necessitating the discovery of safe, effective systemic or topical therapies. Using transcriptome-guided drug repurposing, we identified statins as a potential therapeutic intervention for RDEB-associated SCC. In vitro, lovastatin exhibited significant cytostatic effects and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis. This effect was rescued by mevalonate and geranylgeraniol, confirming on-target inhibition of the mevalonate pathway. While topical application of lovastatin in an in vivo xenograft model resulted in significant reduction in tumor growth, we could observe that its efficacy was limited by rapid clearance from the tumor and the induction of compensatory feedback mechanisms. Our findings suggest that while the established safety profile of statins makes them highly attractive candidates for repurposing, clinical success will depend on overcoming two critical barriers: establishing dosing regimens that maintain therapeutic levels below the threshold of local toxicity and developing strategies to circumvent secondary feedback loops.

Spotlight Theatre

Poster and Exhibition Hall