1st International iFIT Conference 2023

What do snowy peaks, a crystal clear lake and an alpine backdrop have to do with top-class cancer research? At first glance, not much. But at the end of March, the first international cancer research conference of our "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies" (iFIT) Cluster of Excellence took place in Zell am See. Our goal: to develop new, individualized cancer therapies. To this end, more than 180 researchers are working together in a globally unique collaboration of three different research areas in Tübingen.

Our Cluster of Excellence is networked with numerous international research institutions and is in constant exchange with scientists from all over the world on the latest findings in oncological research. This was also reflected at the first international iFIT conference, with over 200 participants from the USA, Israel, China, Brazil, Great Britain and many other countries. Keynote speakers included the pioneer of CAR-T cell cancer immunotherapy, Prof. Dr. Carl June of the University of Pennsylvania, who has a major translational focus on ex vivo T-cell engineering for cancer; Prof. Dr. Scott Lowe of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the discoverer of oncogene-induced senescence, a tumor suppression program; and Prof. Dr. Michal Neeman of the Weizmann Institute of Science, an expert in molecular imaging.

Numerous young researchers as well as experienced scientists were able to benefit from the latest findings of cutting-edge research in lectures, presentations and lively discussions at the conference.