Sixth Congress of the Serbian Association for Cancer Research with International Participation
“From Collaboration to Innovation in Cancer Research””
The Sixth Congress of the Serbian Association for Cancer Research (SDIR-6) with international participation, themed “From Collaboration to Innovation in Cancer Research,” was held from October 2 to 4, 2023, at the Royal Inn Hotel, Kralja Petra 56, Belgrade.
The SDIR-6 Congress hosted a total of 124 participants from Serbia and 13 foreign countries, including Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Chile. Members of SDIR, the Croatian Cancer Research Society (HDIR), the Turkish National Cancer Research Society (Molecular Cancer Research Association, Turkey, MOKAD, the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR), and other friendly national societies benefited from reduced registration fees.
The congress was officially opened by the President of the SDIR Board, Dr. Milena Čavić. The opening ceremony was attended and addressed by the Minister of Health of the Republic of nSerbia, Prof. Dr. Danica Grujičić, a representative of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, Dr. Marina Soković, the Director of the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Prof. Dr. Milan Žegarac, a representative of the Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković,” Dr. Momir Paunović, and the Acting Director of the Center for the Promotion of Science, Dr. Marjana Brkić.
A highlight of this year’s congress was the plenary lectures by the President of EACR, Professor Rene Bernards and EACR Board Member Chiare Ambrogio, which attracted significant attention from participants and greatly contributed to the scientific quality of the congress and the reputation of our national society. For the first time, the congress also featured the participation of an administrative representative of EACR, Andrew Binns.
The working part of the congress commenced with invited lectures by SDIR members awarded for the best scientific publications in cancer research in the senior and junior categories, and participants of the SDIR Scientific Days from the State University of Novi Pazar and the University of Kragujevac. This session was chaired by Dr. Milica Pešić and Dr. Ivana Matić.
The remainder of the congress program was organized into nine scientific sessions:
- Tumor Metabolism and Biology (Chairs: Dr. Ljubica Harhaji-Trajković, Dr. Ana Podolski-Renić)
- Epigenetics and Gene Regulation in Cancer (Chairs: Dr. Katarina Zeljić, Dr. Nina Petrović)
- Bioinformatics and Artificial Intelligence in Cancer Research (Chairs: Dr. Miljana Tanić, Dr. Thomas Mohr)
- Omics Approaches in Cancer Research (Chairs: Dr. Marko Radulović, Dr. Ieronymos Zoidakis)
- Therapy Response and Resistance (Chairs: Dr. Jelena Dinić, Dr. Konstantinos Dimas)
- Clinical and Translational Oncology (Chairs: Dr. Milena Čavić, Dr. Remond Fijneman)
- Immunooncology (Chairs: Dr. Siniša Radulović, Dr. Jelena Spasić)
- New and Challenging Drug Targets (Chairs: Dr. Nevenka Gligorijević, Dr. Cristina Xavier)
- Pathways to Innovation in Cancer Research (Chairs: Dr. Radmila Janković, Dr. Chiara Ambrogio)
Poster presentations were in electronic format, displayed throughout the congress in the hotel premises. An electronic poster session was broadcast online, chaired by Dr. Ana Krivokuća. Participants could ask questions and engage in active discussions with presenters before and during the poster session.
One session was dedicated to national and regional collaboration, followed by a discussion among representatives of national and regional scientific societies and the EACR President.
The congress also featured well-attended sponsor sessions. On the final day, the SDIR student section was launched.
All abstracts were published in the first issue of the official SDIR journal Oncology Insights. The SDIR-6 Congress included 23 invited lectures, including 2 plenary lectures. A total of 72 abstracts were submitted. The SDIR-6 Scientific Committee selected 18 of the best abstracts for short oral presentations within each scientific session.
Awards for the best abstract/poster were presented by EACR, along with a newly introduced award for the best abstract/poster in the SDIR PhD student category. The EACR-sponsored award committee, comprising Prof. Dr. Chiara Ambrogio, Dr. Radmila Janković, and Dr. Ivana Matić, awarded three prizes. The first EACR prize for the best abstract/poster was awarded to Dr. Jelena Knežević from the “Ruđer Bošković” Institute in Zagreb, Croatia, for the abstract “Transcriptomic profiling of the early-stage squamous cell lung cancer.” The second EACR prize went to Kristina Živić, a PhD student from the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, for the abstract “Characterization of heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts isolated from PDAC patients.” The third EACR prize was awarded to Dr. Guillaume Medard from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, for the abstract “Amassing a treasure trove for drug repurposing using chemoproteomics.”
The SDIR-sponsored award committee in the PhD student category, comprising Prof. Dr. Katarina Zeljić, Dr. Ana Krivokuća, and Dr. Marko Radulović, awarded the prize to Aleksandra Stanojević, a PhD student from the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, for the poster “Detection of viral proteins in locally advanced rectal cancer patient samples by mass spectrometry – predictive potential for response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.”
In addition to the scientific program, participants had the opportunity to experience Serbia’s national cultural heritage by attending a concert of traditional Serbian dances performed by members of the Cultural Artistic Society “Ivo Lola Ribar” from Belgrade. Thanks to the Tourist Organization of Belgrade and Serbia, a one-hour guided walking tour of downtown Belgrade was organized for the SDIR-6 congress participants.
The organization of the SDIR-6 Congress was supported by the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR), the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia, the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, the Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, the Center for the Promotion of Science, the Tourist Organization of Serbia, and the Tourist Organization of Belgrade.
elementarium.cpn.rs/intervju/profesor-rene-bernards-potrebno-je-misliti-van-okvira
www.rts.rs/radio/radio-beograd-2/5279742/srpsko-drustvo-istrazivaca-raka.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPPZUVSMzrI
www.nki.nl/news-events/news/serbian-cancer-researchers-team-up-with-nki-and-eacr
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t_ZPiFSq50
The entire event was covered by media support.
The Serbian Association of Cancer Researchers extends its heartfelt thanks to the speakers, members of the Scientific and Organizing Committees, and all congress participants for their contributions to the successful realization of the SDIR-6 Congress. We look forward to seeing you at the SDIR-7 Congress in 2025!
