The 2017 China Tumor Markers Academic Conference was held in Xi’an from 12 to 14 October 2017. Hosted by the China Anti-Cancer Association’s Tumor Marker Committee, organized by its Shaanxi counterpart and several hospitals, and supported by committees from 12 provinces including Jiangsu, the meeting attracted more than 1,200 specialists and scholars.
On the morning of 13 October, Professor Haichuan Su chaired the opening ceremony. Academician Zhinan Chen, association secretary-general Ying Wang and Shaanxi association chair Shuye Li discussed the importance and international frontiers of tumor marker research and reviewed the committee’s development. Professor Jinliang Xing, chair of the Tumor Marker Committee, introduced its development plans and the conference program.
The conference discussed advances and research and clinical questions in cancer diagnosis and treatment, including circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA and exosomes. Academician Yuquan Wei, Professor Hongbing Shen, Professor Hushan Yang and other speakers presented their perspectives to an engaged audience.
The conference proposed establishing an exosome expert committee to bring together specialists in basic research and clinical translation, support training and academic collaboration, and help connect foundational work with future clinical translation.
Preparations for the exosome expert committee and the exosome forum
At the organizers’ invitation, Professor Hao Zhang of the Shantou University tumor research center chaired a preparatory meeting for the Tumor Marker Committee’s exosome expert committee on the evening of 13 October. Committee secretary-general Dr Guodong Ye introduced the participants and outlined the proposed committee and its aims. Professor Zhang discussed the growing exosome field and the need to connect basic research and clinical translation through joint grant applications, experiments and product development.
Experts in microfluidics, bioinformatics, transcriptomics, proteomics, cancer diagnostics and basic exosome research discussed current challenges and possible solutions. They planned initial goals, preparation and publication of a consensus, membership and responsibilities.
Professor Jinliang Xing said the Tumor Marker Committee had included a dedicated exosome forum and supported preparation of the expert committee. He described its proposed establishment as timely for collaboration among research, education and industry.
Professor Zhang summarized the meeting, identifying the proposed name as the Exosome Expert Committee and its then-planned position as a branch of the China Anti-Cancer Association’s Tumor Marker Committee. He outlined membership criteria and medium- and long-term plans, thanked contributors and expressed hope for its establishment and development.
The following day, the dedicated exosome forum drew a large audience. Hao Zhang, Jiang Li, Tong Wang, Jiashu Sun, Xiaoyi Huang, Da Jia, Chanjuan Ning and other speakers presented work on developments in the field.
The article described the committee’s activities around cancer liquid biopsy and exosome research as an opportunity to advance policy, training and collaborative platforms.
