Welcome and Selamat Datang!

It gives us great pleasure to welcome you to the Second MACR International Scientific Conference (2nd MSC), which is going to take place at MAHSA University, Bandar Saujana Putra, Selangor, Malaysia from 7-8th December 2022.

This year the Organising Committee decided to tackle the difficult question of ‘Next Generation Cancer Therapeutics – Where Are We Heading?’. This highlights, quite importantly, the limitations of current anticancer therapies and the ongoing efforts homing in on novel treatment modalities with boosted selectivity towards cancer cells. The rather brute-force mechanisms that underpin the majority of contemporary anticancer treatments result in unacceptable side effects and suboptimal survival rates. There is thus a pressing unmet need for a new generation of anticancer therapeutics that could drastically enhance patient survival without compromising quality of life. 

With the conference theme in mind, we have put together a cross-disciplinary programme to cover a variety of anticancer research areas, namely identification of novel cancer drug targets, discovery of new cancer drugs, translational cancer medicine, clinical trials of new cancer drugs, diagnostic and prognostic values of new cancer markers, cancer prevention, and precision oncology. Also included in the conference is a unique forum that brings together cancer survivors, cancer advocates, clinicians, and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry for discussions of potential strategies for improving access to (typically costly) cancer medicines among low-income patients. 

The team of expert speakers will discuss some of the cutting-edge breakthroughs in anticancer therapies that were driven by technological innovations. This is a platform for scientists and clinicians from all over the world who are working on or interested in cancer-related research to compare notes and discuss challenges of breaking the efficacy bottlenecks of anticancer therapy. The programme is structured to provide ample opportunity for interaction with experts in the field and networking with fellow researchers to forge collaborations; while the parallel sessions will equip you with key insights into building effective alliances across various areas of anticancer research. 

Overall, the Scientific Committee has planned a thorough programme with plenary, invited, and parallel talks and poster presentations. The conference will be concluded by presentation of the awards for the best oral and poster presenters. 

We look forward to meeting you at the conference!