23 highly accomplished scientists from all over the world, working in both industry and academia presented their last scientific results, mostly unpublished, in front of around 100 participants, raising the topics of tumor microenvironment, antibodies, cellular therapy, novel technologies, innate immunity and vaccination. Malignant diseases represent an unmet medical challenge with a huge social and economical impact. Early diagnosis and optimized operative, medical and radiotherapeutic treatments often cure early stage cancers. The prognosis for many patients with advanced-stage diseases, however, remains dismal. An important achievement of the last decade is the use of the body's own immune system to treat patients. The potential of immunotherapies has been demonstrated impressively through the use and approval of specific antibodies directed against tumor-associated antigens and against so called “immunological check points” which unleash T cells against cancer cells. This was the second conference being organised by the Elite Network of Bavaria program - “i-Target: Immunotargeting of Cancer” and the inaugural ceremony of the “Immutrain: training network for the immunotherapy of cancer” funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions of the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union.
