BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Partners HealthCare today announced the second annual World Medical Innovation Forum™, which will bring together more than 1,100 international cancer technology decision-makers from industry, investment, clinical and research communities, April 25-27, 2016 in Boston.

“First Look: Next Wave of Cancer Breakthroughs”

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Forum keynoters include the CEOs of Novartis, BMS, Amgen and Abbvie who will join more than 100 total speakers — all experts in new cancer technology from industry, the investment community and Harvard Medical School. World Forum attendees include senior executives, investors, entrepreneurs, clinicians and scientists. The focus of the Forum is new cancer technologies and the cooperative innovation among industry, academia, government and philanthropy required to make them happen.

“Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide. Developing new means of treating and diagnosing cancer requires an active collaboration between clinicians, scientists, companies and investors to identify and address patient needs,” said Daniel Haber, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Cancer Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. “The outcomes of this cooperation will ultimately affect the lives of patients worldwide.”

Over the three days, the 2016 Forum will highlight emerging cancer innovations in immunotherapy, epigenetics, early diagnosis, combination therapies, as well as curative drugs, cancer markets, the role of patients in innovation, cancer as a chronic disease and investment strategies.

The Forum is co-chaired by Daniel Haber, M.D., Ph.D., and Monica Bertagnolli, M.D., Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Academic speakers include Harvard Medical School-appointed clinicians and investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“The recent advances in the targeted treatment of cancer are extremely exciting and have set the stage for us to understand cancer biology as never before,” said Monica Bertagnolli, M.D. “While the progress in treating patients has been encouraging, cancer is a large and diverse group of diseases and it is continually evolving, making the need for innovation constant if we are to achieve our goals of prevention and cure. Pushing boundaries back requires collaboration across sectors.”

A highlight of the Forum is a showcase of the most promising cancer technology innovations from around the world — the 12 technologies with the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment and patient care over the next decade. The final selections, called “The Disruptive Dozen,” will be announced on the last day of the Forum. Another highlight will be rapid fire presentations by emerging cancer research stars. The “First Look: Next Wave of Cancer Breakthroughs” session will kick off the Forum at 8AM Monday April 25.

The World Medical Innovation Forum is organized by Partners HealthCare Innovation, a division of Partners HealthCare dedicated to advancing the commercial application of the unique capabilities of Partners’ academic medical centers. “The breadth of the topics that will be covered and the commitment to interdisciplinary engagement from international leaders across academia, finance, industry and public policy makes the Forum an unrivaled, must-attend event,” said Chris Coburn, Partners Vice President for Innovation and conference organizer.

Sponsors of the Forum include Novartis, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Takeda, Amgen, Astellas, General Electric, Ipsen, AstraZeneca, MacDougall Biomedical Communications, Ropes and Gray, Mintz Levin, McCall and Almy, and Vertex.

About the World Medical Innovation Forum
The World Medical Innovation Forum is a global gathering of senior corporate, investor and academic leaders. It was established to respond to the intensifying transformation of health care and its impact on innovation. The Forum is rooted in the belief that no matter the magnitude of that change, the center of health care needs to be a shared, fundamental commitment to collaborative innovation – industry and academia working together and its ability to improve patient lives.

For more information or to register, please go to www.worldmedicalinnovation.org.

About Partners HealthCare
Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners HealthCare is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.