VILLEJUIF, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The WIN Consortium, supported by its media partner Nature Publishing Group, has opened registration for the second annual WIN Symposium, to be held in the Palais des Congrès, Paris, on the 7^th to 9^th of July 2010. The WIN Symposium is an open and interactive forum designed to promote rapid translation of ground-breaking personalized cancer medicine discoveries to clinical practice. This innovative meeting has received the endorsement of major oncology organizations around the world, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). The WIN Consortium is a joint initiative of the Institut Gustave Roussy (France) and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (USA), in association with several other leading cancer care institutions in Europe, the United States of America, Canada, and Asia.

“We are very pleased to receive the endorsement of these prestigious oncology organizations, guaranteeing the high quality of the WIN Symposium’s scientific content,” said Dr Vladimir Lazar, Co-ordinator of the WIN Consortium and Head of Functional Genomics at the Institut Gustave Roussy.

“These endorsements acknowledge that early diagnosis and personalized treatments are the most efficient approaches to improving the outcomes of cancer and significantly decreasing global mortality rates,” said John Mendelsohn, M.D., President, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

“More than 10 million people around the world develop cancer every year,” commented Professor David Kerr, ESMO President. “Early diagnosis and a tailored program of therapy are the best ways to improve the outcome for these patients. In recognition of its efforts, ESMO is pleased to certify the WIN Symposium with 17 ESMO-MORA category 1 points, enabling participants to collect CME.”

“Endorsement of the WIN Symposium is part of our commitment to further expanding the scope of ASCO’s international programs, with the overarching goal of improving cancer care on a global level,” added Douglas Pyle, ASCO Senior Director of International Affairs.

“The pursuit of knowledge and the reduction of fragmentation in oncology research are instrumental to finding new and better cancer treatments. A holistic approach, as promoted by initiatives such as the WIN Consortium, is the only way to provide more comprehensive care and improve the quality of life for patients,” concluded Dr Marco Pierotti, OECI President.

By promoting closer collaboration between academia and industry, the WIN Consortium is helping to accelerate new technologies from the bench to the bedside, and has received worldwide acknowledgment from academia, as well as the backing of influential technology providers such as Agilent Technologies, GE Healthcare and Life Technologies. The program of the Symposium is dedicated to personalized medicine and the future of oncology care, and will be presented by key opinion leaders in the field, including:

About the WIN Consortium

The WIN Consortium is a joint initiative of the Institut Gustave Roussy and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, in association with several other leading cancer care institutions in Europe, the United States of America, Canada, and Asia. The Consortium aims at building new strategic alliances in oncology, creating innovative drug development programs and at accelerating clinical trials and validation of new drugs for personalized cancer care. Its SITED program (standards in individualized treatment and early diagnosis) will bring together academia and industry, undertaking a range of research and clinical projects to improve early diagnosis of cancer and to establish new treatment strategies. Follow WIN Consortium on Twitter @WIN_Consortium and on Facebook.

About ASCO

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 28,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.Cancer.Net. This program has the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s approval for quality of educational content. ASCO endorsement does not constitute medical advice. Health care providers should exercise their own independent medical judgment.

About ESMO

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) is the leading European professional medical oncology organization comprising a network of more than 6,000 oncology professionals from over 100 countries. ESMO's objective is to advance and promote the specialty of medical oncology, provide post-graduate education and training and establish platforms for the dissemination and sharing of knowledge. ESMO promotes a multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment, in its goal to prevent cancer and ensure optimal treatment for all cancer patients. ESMO’s scientific journal, Annals of Oncology, ranks among the top clinical oncology journals worldwide.

About OECI

Organization of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) has the mission to facilitate the development of European comprehensive cancer centres by integrating care and prevention with research and education. Core issues are to deliver a complete multidisciplinary care of high quality and stimulate translational cancer research. The goal is to innovate the cancer care by networking comprehensive cancer centres containing quality assured harmonized infrastructures. This will give Europe a new potential to extend the cancer research to areas not possible to cover by single centres.