Companion Diagnostics: From Biomarker Identification to Market Entry

The recent growth in complex biological data has enabled a major paradigm shift in healthcare away from "one-size-fits-all" approaches towards customized, patient-tailored therapies. Biomarker-based companion diagnostics (CDx), designed to identify responsive patient sub-populations or those likely to experience adverse drug effects, lie at the heart of this personalized, precision medicine movement.

This 2-day conference will provide a neutral forum for international scientists and clinicians from academia, industry, and government — as well as healthcare policy makers, regulatory experts, insurance sector representatives, and other stakeholders — to discuss research, financial, and regulatory strategies that will facilitate CDx development and integration into clinical care. Presentations will illustrate successes and failures based on case studies; evaluate emerging applications of technologies such as epigenetics, bioinformatics, and nanotechnology; analyze diverse therapeutic target areas beyond cancer including inflammatory, infectious, cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases; recognize regulatory hurdles; and formulate solutions to better improve public health with CDx and personalized medicine.