Cancer is a bewilderingly complex ensemble of diseases all sharing, at their heart, various genetic dysfunctions in pathways that regulate cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, survival and interactions with the somatic microenvironment. Advances in the molecular anatomy of cancers has indicated a plethora of potential targets that are either directly mutated in cancers or act as downstream effectors of mutated pathways. Already, the number of new therapeutics greatly exceeds the capacity for clinical trials, necessitating the increasing use of pre-clinical models. Fortunately, the remarkable conservation of signaling and regulatory pathways within metazoans means that the whole repertoire of model organisms can be gainfully enlisted in the identification, functional elucidation and pharmacological validation of targets. Each type of model systems has unique advantages and disadvantages – some excel in experimental, biochemical and genetic tractability, others lend themselves to large scale and rapid throughput screens, while others more closely emulate their cognate human pathologies.

This conference is unique in bringing together leading authorities working with yeast, worms, flies, frogs, mice and, increasingly, human patients – all of whom share the overarching aim of understanding the mechanisms underpinning genesis, evolution and maintenance of cancers. Both basic and translational cancer research stands to gain much from the breadth of insights that such diverse model systems offer. This conferencewill acquaint participants from academia and industry with the diverse set of tools now available with which to understand cancers and work out how best to treat them.