The Worldwide Innovative Networking (WIN) Consortium invites you to attend the 3^rd WIN Annual Symposium, which this year is dedicated to a very challenging topic; gateways to increasing the efficacy of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. 

The 2011 symposium, to be held on 6^th to 8^th of July at the Palais des Congrès, Paris, will include discussion and debate on the following topics:

• Determining the efficacy of targeted cancer therapies
• Determining the efficiency of genetic and molecular biomarkers for selecting patients suitable for targeted therapeutics
• Improving the design of clinical trials using targeted therapies. Effective comparisons, appropriate endpoints and combination therapies  - is randomization necessary?
• Establishing more effective collaborations between academia, industry and patients
• Innovative technologies to identify genetic and molecular abnormalities in cancers
• Improving bioinformatics and applications of systems biology

The WIN Consortium was created to accelerate the pace, and reduce the cost, of translating effective cancer treatments to the bedside.  To succeed in this objective we need the commitment of all our members, in addition to engaging leading researchers in the field. We aim to create a forum for open discussion where your expertise, along with input from all stakeholders in cancer drug development, is invaluable. 

The 22 founder member institutions of the WIN Consortium invite you and your institution to join us, and to take part in this forum (http://www.winconsortium.org). Register now to attend this unique event.

 "The WIN Consortium, initiated by the Institut Gustave Roussy, (IGR, France) and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC, USA), is a non-profit organization that brings together cancer centers and industry partners from five continents. Its aim is to address the challenge of increasing the efficacy of cancer healthcare globally through personalized therapy, in diverse populations from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East," said John Mendelsohn, President of MDACC and Chair of the WIN Consortium. 

Vladimir Lazar, Chief Operating Officer of the WIN Consortium, explained: "The aim of the WIN Consortium and its annual symposium is to foster and facilitate innovative cooperation between cancer centers, pharmaceutical and technology companies, patient advocacy groups, government institutions and other stakeholders in the field of diagnosis and personalized, biomarker-driven treatment of cancer."  

"Our overarching goals are to achieve more rapid and efficient translation of groundbreaking personalized cancer medicine discoveries into the standards for clinical care, to significantly improve the outcomes and quality of life of cancer patients, and to begin to do so with a very ambitious goal of generating the first relevant study results within 3-5 years," said Richard L. Schilsky, Chair of the WIN Scientific Advisory Board. 

"Molecular diagnostics, targeted therapies and validation of novel therapeutic solutions are key elements of our strategy to provide improved cures for patients," commented Thomas Tursz, Vice Chair of WIN Consortium. "This will be achieved through supporting innovative clinical trials, promoting worldwide collaborations and fostering new relations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and government institutions."  

Founding academic institutes and non-profit organizations:

• Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), India
• Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
• Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Israel
• Fondazione Irccs Instituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Italy
• Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, China
• FundaçaoPio XII - Hospital de Câncer de Barretos - Pius XII Foundation, Brazil
• Fundació Privada Institut d'Investigació Oncològica de Vall d'Hebron (VHIO), Spain
• Hadassah University Medical Center, Israel
• Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy, France
• Institute for Digestive Diseases and Liver Transplantation, Romania
• King Hussein Cancer Center, Jordan
• National Breast Cancer Foundation, United States
• National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore
• The Oncology Institute Ion Chiricuta, Romania
• Sage Bionetworks, United States
• Segal Cancer Centre, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Canada
• Semmelweis University, Faculty of Medicine, 1^st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Hungary
• The University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, Romania
• The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States 

Founding associated technology partners:

• Agilent Technologies, United States
• General Electric Healthcare, United Kingdom
• Life Technologies Corporation, United States                                         

For further information on the WIN Symposium, contact Vladimir Lazar: Chief Operating Officer of WIN Consortium, Tel:  +33 142 11 40 20 or email vladimir.lazar@igr.fr