The tumor micro- and macroenvironment
17-19 February 2027, Leuven, Belgium
Abstract deadline: 16 December 2026
The tumor micro- and macroenvironment
The tumor micro- and macroenvironment
Keep me postedAdd to calendar
Sarah-Maria Fendt
Ilaria Malanchi
Massimiliano Mazzone
Lisa Thyrion
Cancer does not develop in isolation but exists within a complex and dynamic ecosystem whose many layers collectively determine how it grows, adapts, and responds to therapy. Emerging advances in cancer research are increasingly uncovering the diverse biological factors that converge to shape tumor behavior and influence treatment outcomes. The tumor micro- and macro environment conference brings together leading experts and rising voices to share the latest discoveries and perspectives on:
- Aging
- CNS - periphery interaction
- Immunology
- Metabolism
- Therapy
Join us for an inspiring meeting that will spark dialogue, foster collaboration, and advance our understanding of the environment that governs tumor biology.
Travel grant deadline: 25 November 2026.
Abstract deadline: 16 December 2026.
Confirmed speakers
Triantafyllos Chavakis
Triantafyllos Chavakis
Dresden University of Technology, University Hospital Dresden, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, DE
Program
Day 1 - Wednesday, 17 February, 2027
13:00
13:45
Registration & welcome coffee
13:45
13:55
Welcome word
13:55
17:30
Session 1: Metabolism
13:55
14:25
Ping-Chih Ho
University of Lausanne/Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, CH
Keynote speaker
14:25
14:55
Patricia Altea-Manzano
CABIMER, ES
14:55
15:25
Jun Yan
University of Louisville, US
15:25
15:40
Presenter TBA
-
Selected from abstracts
15:40
15:45
Presenter TBA
-
Sponsored talk
15:45
16:15
Coffee break
16:15
16:30
Presenter TBA
-
Selected from abstracts
16:30
17:00
Elisabeth Letellier
Université de Luxembourg, LU
17:00
17:30
Mathias Heikenwälder
DKFZ & University Hospital Tübingen, DE
17:30
19:00
Poster session 1
Included in the conference ticket.
Day 2 - Thursday, 18 February, 2027
08:30
09:00
Welcome coffee
09:00
11:20
Session 2: CNS-Periphery
09:00
09:30
The EMBO keynote lecture: Characterizing and targeting of tumor innervating neurons
Andreas Trumpp
HI-STEM gGmbH, DE
Keynote speaker
09:30
10:00
Cancer is embedded in a neural regulatory network
Erica Sloan
Monash University, AU
10:00
10:30
Neural influences on cancer: Brain Cancer Neuroscience
Frank Winkler
University of Heidelberg & DKFZ, DE
10:30
10:45
Presenter TBA
-
Selected from abstracts
10:45
10:55
Sponsored talk
10:55
11:20
Coffee break
11:20
12:35
Session 3: Immunology - Part 1
11:20
11:50
Ana Luísa Correia
Fundação Champalimaud, PT
11:50
12:20
Understanding the metabolic cross-talk between cancer cells and T cells in distant metastasis
Ilaria Elia
KU Leuven, BE
12:20
12:35
Presenter TBA
-
Selected from abstracts
12:35
13:20
Lunch
13:20
14:20
Poster session 2
14:20
17:55
Session 3: Immunology - part 2
14:20
14:50
Ralph DeBerardinis
UT Southwestern Medical Center, US
14:50
15:20
Tumor-Stroma coevolution
Ruth Scherz-Shouval
Weizmann Institute of Science, IL
15:20
15:35
Presenter TBA
-
Selected from abstracts
15:35
15:40
Sponsored talk
15:40
16:10
Coffee break
16:10
16:25
Presenter TBA
-
Selected from abstracts
16:25
16:55
Triantafyllos Chavakis
Dresden University of Technology, University Hospital Dresden, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, DE
16:55
17:25
Daniela Quail
McGill University, CA
17:25
17:55
Erika Pearce
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, US
17:55
19:30
Networking reception
19:30
22:00
Conference dinner
Tickets for the conference dinner can be purchased separately.
Day 3 - Friday, 19 February, 2027
08:30
09:00
Welcome coffee
09:00
10:45
Session 4: Aging
09:00
09:30
Ashani Weeraratna
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, US
Keynote speaker
09:30
10:00
Amaya Virós
CRUK Manchester, UK
10:00
10:30
Marta Kovatcheva
The AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, IT
10:30
10:45
Presenter TBA
-
Selected from abstracts
10:45
11:15
Coffee break
11:15
12:30
Session 5: Therapy
11:15
11:30
Presenter TBA
-
Selected from abstracts
11:30
12:00
Andrea Alimonti
ETH Zurich, CH
12:00
12:30
Christine Desmedt
KU Leuven, BE
12:30
12:40
Closing
12:40
13:40
Lunch
Organizing committee
Julieta Alfonso
Nature Cancer, DE
Sarah-Maria Fendt
VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, BE
Ilaria Malanchi
Francis Crick Institute, UK
Massimiliano Mazzone
VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, BE
Jan Remsik
VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, BE
Lisa Thyrion
VIB Training & Conferences, BE
Abstracts
Participants are invited to submit an abstract for a poster and/or oral presentation. The best abstracts will be selected for oral presentations in the scientific program, and the best poster will be awarded the Nature Cancer Poster Prize.
Submit your abstract for this event
You can submit an abstract for a poster and/or oral presentation here. Registration is not required to submit an abstract.
Abstract submission closing date:
Wednesday, 16 December, 2026
Submit an abstract
The full list of abstracts will be available on 03-02-2027 until 19-05-2027
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.
Travel grants
Travel grant
We offer travel grants to international junior scientists to support their participation in the conference. The travel grants reimburse travel costs up to €400 per awardee. The deadline for applying for financial support is 25 November 2026, 23:59 CET.
Submission closing date
Attendees
The full list of attendees will be available on 03-02-2027 until 19-05-2027
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.
Sponsors
Silver
