Gathering in Berlin for cancer innovation

Building on the Nordic tradition of collaboration and innovation, the symposium brought together global leaders from research, healthcare, industry, policy, and patient advocacy. The event focused on three key areas shaping the future of cancer treatment:

• Precision cancer medicine at scale – from equitable diagnostics to AI-enabled research.
• Radiopharmaceuticals as a competitiveness play – linking Nordic strengths to global opportunities.
• ATMPs from vision to implementation – advancing Europe’s ecosystem for cell and gene therapies.

Jutta Heix, Head of International Affairs at Oslo Cancer Cluster, opened the symposium by reflecting on the rapidly changing world that affects us all. Throughout the two-hour session, a clear parallel emerged between global shifts and the transformation taking place in cancer research and treatment — the way we understand cancer treatment itself is evolving.

Tumour-agnostic therapy

The keynote address was delivered by Vivek Subbiah, MD, Chief of Early-Phase Drug Development at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tennessee. He opened the symposium with a presentation titled “Next-Generation Oncology Clinical Trials: From Silos to Systems Change,” emphasizing the shift in how the medical community understands and treats cancer.

Subbiah highlighted that both cancer research and patient care are evolving. “I do clinical trials and drug development,” he said, displaying a slide that illustrated the escalating costs of innovation. “In the 1950s, you could develop 30 new drugs for a billion USD, while the same amount of money would allow you to develop one new drug in 2020.”

He stressed the need for a paradigm shift in oncology. “We need a different way to think about cancer, focusing on biomarkers,” he said, explaining that tumour-agnostic therapy enables clinicians to treat the underlying target rather than the tumour’s location or type.

“We are entering the era of the antibody drug,” Subbiah noted, underlining how study design and therapeutic strategies are rapidly transforming.

Molecular inefficiency in action

Traditional study designs—where each trial focuses on a single cancer type and can take up to 15 years before a drug is approved—are, according to Vivek Subbiah, both inefficient and unethical.

“Every arm, one cancer type, and time passed; this is molecular inefficiency in action. Today, one patient with one cancer type will have access to a new medicine maybe a year before another patient with another cancer type,” he explained.

Drawing on his experience at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Subbiah noted that patients and their families today are often highly informed—sometimes even more so than their doctors. “Patients and their families are savvier than doctors nowadays; they come in with the reports and know-how about recent science,” he said.

He argued for faster, more inclusive approaches to drug development. “The 15-year timeline of a drug is unethical; we should have it in three years. And most of the world does not have access to these new drugs. We need to think globally and act globally,” he said.

Radiopharmaceuticals

The second part of the program focused on radiopharmaceuticals. Matthew Korn, PhD, Senior Director for Global Medical Affairs and Evidence at Bayer, opened the session by highlighting the rapid expansion of collaboration in the field across the Nordic region. He noted that expectations for growth are high—but so are the challenges. Isotopes, a key component in radiopharmaceuticals, remain difficult to distribute to patients worldwide, creating logistical and accessibility hurdles.

Korn then asked the panel what they viewed as the biggest challenges in advancing radiopharmaceuticals. The consensus was clear: resources. Financial constraints, limited infrastructure, complex clinical trials, and human resource shortages all present significant barriers. Moreover, as more drugs enter development, capacity limitations are expected to intensify.

A European ATMP Initiative

The third and final panel, led by Knut Steffensen, Associate Professor and Director at the Karolinska ATMP Center, turned to Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs)—commonly known as cell and gene therapies.

“The eyes are on China,” he said. “They are extremely fast, a good market for clinical trials.”

Steffensen went on to reference the Draghi report, which emphasized Europe’s lag in this domain. “The Draghi report stated that Europe is lacking behind and if we do not do anything, we will not be able to catch up. Put the political instability on top of that, with tariffs on medical assets, and the fact that pharma companies are investing most in US and not in Europe. How can we change this?” he asked, showing the audience a slide bearing the Karolinska slogan: “Partnership is the new leadership.”

No point in competing

In the final panel of the morning, they discussed Steffensen’s question.

“We see that coming together and discussing is really challenging, but we have made good progress in Germany, and we can do this at the European level as well, and it is already taking place,” Christian Gallus said.

“One of the best things we can do is share knowledge and know-how. It is still early in the development of these drugs, so know-how is essential. In small countries, I do not see the point of competing; it makes more sense to share experience and competencies so all can learn and advance,” said Anna Pasetto.

“Competitiveness is to compete with other continents, not within Europe. If we compete within the European countries, we are not going to get anywhere,” said Jim Lund.

“Are we waiting for money and initiative from the EU, or do the countries or universities have the responsibility?” Knut Steffensen asked.

“It should be both ways,” Anna Pasetto said. “Countries will end up with various strategies. But we can start with initiatives like this, to build structures at the bottom levels and show that we want to do this.”