Dear Colleagues:
Welcome to the 2006 Advances in Neuroblastoma Research meeting. At this premier international meeting, established and new investigators from 19 countries will present 358 papers describing the most up to date laboratory discoveries and clinical trial results for this disease.
Currently, approximately one-half of patients, those with low or intermediate risk neuroblastoma, can nearly always be cured, whereas the other one-half, those with high risk disease, have only approximately a 40% likelihood of survival. The goals of ANR 2006 are to provide opportunities for sharing ideas and knowledge and for developing collaborations that will benefit neuroblastoma research. We are committed to understanding neuroblastoma and to translating this knowledge into more cures and better quality of life for our patients.
ANR 2006 will provide a rich offering of laboratory and clinical science. Plenary speakers, who are leaders in their fields, will address key areas of contemporary cancer research. These include epigenetics of cancer, apoptosis, inflammation in cancer, drug development, and neuroblastoma clinical research. Presentations by attendees will provide the most advanced information about neuroblastoma in areas of genomics, tumor biology, pre-clinical therapy, and clinical research. Workshops will focus on key methods and strategies for neuroblastoma research. These include genomics, pre-clinical therapy models, pathology in the 21st century, and methods for clinical trials.
To enhance scientific excellence and participation by a range of investigators, we obtained philanthropic funding to award prizes for the Outstanding Paper in each of the four major sections of the meeting, for Young Investigator Research Fellowships, and for Global Research Fellowships. We very much appreciate the generosity of foundations and organizations that funded these important aspects of ANR 2006.
Finally, I would like to thank our Local Working Group including my wife, Melinda; Pat Reynolds, his wife Debra, and his daughter Amy; and Maybelle Sim. All have contributed in different and important ways to make the meeting a success.
Have a terrific meeting!
Sincerely yours,
Robert C. Seeger, M.D.
President
Advances in Neuroblastoma Research 2006
