2023 Physical Science of Cancer GRC/GRS

Project Summary/Abstract Despite the wide variety of genetic and molecular information available to characterize a patient's tumor, a precise individual prediction of cancer progression is only possible to a limited extend. This suggests that vital data about tumor progression are missing such as the physical and mechanical properties of cells and surrounding tissue. Considering the complexity of cancer as a systemic disease recently high expectations have been raised that an interdisciplinary approach by combining biology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, big data, and physics with biomedicine will lead to convergent oncology. Emergent phenomena which are not directly triggered by a specific molecule can be only understood by a convergent approach. Partial support is requested for the 3rd iteration of the "Physical Science of Cancer" Gordon Research Conference (GRC) to be held from Feb.5-10, 2023, and the 2nd iteration of the “Physical Science of Cancer” Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) to be held from Feb.4-5, 2023. These meetings will be held at the GRC-selected conference hotel (The Grand Galvez) in Galveston, Texas. The conference is promised to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of recent advances and new ideas on multidisciplinary approaches and their success in understanding fundamental cancer progression as well as in developing potential translational perspectives. The long-term goal of this GRC is to facilitate the development and use of approaches to extend the range of cancer targets that can be tackled successfully. These will be achieved with the following aims: (1) Review advances and identify challenges in quantitative approaches in cancer. (2) Train the next generation of scientists to quantitatively investigate the underlying physical mechanisms that drive cancer (GRS) and facilitate diversity participation. (3) Foster new collaborations with emphasis on using quantitative approaches to address challenges in cancer. Session topics have been selected on the basis of their potential impact on key scientific challenges of the field and for their strength in transdisciplinary approaches. A focus on giving diverse voices, in background, stage of career, and discipline will be central to our program. We will introduce inclusive mentorship as a primary focus in order to better train and foster the next generation of multi-disciplinary cancer researchers. Poster sessions will provide ample opportunities for engagement between investigators at all levels. We anticipate that scientific interactions during this conference will impact cancer research in significant ways and result in establishing productive multi-disciplinary research collaborations. Collectively this conference will highlight the significant progress in the last four years, and catalyze the development of new concepts and synergies that will aim to shape the future of Physical Sciences in Cancer and allow us to holistically study phenomena. Ultimately, the dynamic interactions among these systems shape the forces that drive tumor initiation, progression, metastatic spread, and disease recurrence. The application of physics and mathematics foundations to the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ level basis of cancer has revealed fundamental changes during disease that are reflected across cancer types and stages. In this conference we will hear from experts applying physical sciences to cancer to study disease phenomena across scales and systems.