SPEAKERS / HONOREES
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BRCA1 Discovery Pioneer
PMWC 2027 LUMINARY HONOREE
2024 Nobel Laureate
PMWC 2027 J. CRAIG VENTER VISIONARY HONOREE
Nobel Laureate (CRISPR)
PMWC 2027 PIONEER HONOREE
2025 Breakthrough Prize (GLP-1)
PMWC 2027 PIONEER HONOREE
Nobel Laureate
PMWC 2027 PIONEER HONOREE
Godmother of AI
PMWC 2027 PIONEER HONOREE
Nobel Laureate
PMWC 2027 LUMINARY HONOREE
Google Brain Founder
15-MINUTE PRESENTATIONS
AUDIENCE: UP TO 200 INVESTORS, POTENTIAL CLIENTS AND PARTNERS
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The Foremost Precision Medicine Conference
• Gathering recognized leaders, top global researchers and medical professionals, plus innovators across healthcare and biotechnology sectors
• Showcasing latest practical content that helps close the knowledge gap among different sectors
• Promoting cross-functional fertilization & collaboration to accelerate Precision Medicine
• Main Tracks and Showcases (6 Total) that provide a mix of established and upcoming perspectives
• Luminary and Pioneer Award Ceremony honoring those who transform healthcare by advancing precision medicine in the clinic
DAYS
ATTENDEES (35 COUNTRIES)
EXHIBITORS
PARALLEL TRACKS
REGISTRATION
Receive the latest news about the field of precision medicine and the conference from Tal Behar, PMWC’s President:
Nickolas Papadopoulos, Ph.D., Professor of Oncology and Pathology, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Director of Translational Genetics, Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins University
1
Detecting cancer earlier is only part of the challenge. The next frontier is identifying which precancerous lesions are biologically destined to progress. Papadopoulos points to combinations of DNA, RNA, proteins and other biomarkers, as well as sampling bodily fluids closer to the lesion, as promising ways to find these elusive signals.
One approach is to identify some combination of biomarkers that could increase the sensitivity. There is work being done on this and, in addition to DNA, other biomarkers are being studied, like proteins and RNA.
Another approach is to use a different medium than blood, like bodily fluids that are closer to the source of the lesions desired to be detected. For example, the use of urine for detecting bladder lesions.
2
The first randomized MCED trial to report results raised a more fundamental question about how these tests should be judged. Papadopoulos argues that simply counting Stage III and IV cancers misses important differences among tumor types. Future trials will need to show whether screening finds cancers when cure is realistically possible, while also measuring survival, benefits and harms.
What is important is to look at the type of tumors identified and at what stage. For some tumor types Stage III is manageable, while for other tumor types even Stage I is not.
Future randomized controlled prospective interventional studies should focus not only on the reduction of stage. For example, the endpoints should include a more detailed view that includes the cancer types detected, the stages identified, in how many cases there is an opportunity to treat people with intent to cure, and cancer-specific survival, to mention a few.
We need to know the benefits as well as the harms of MCED tests before widespread adoption.
3
For population screening, false positives can quickly overwhelm the benefits of a test because cancer remains uncommon among asymptomatic people. Papadopoulos says the strongest case for MCED will come from finding cancers that currently lack standard screening tests, before symptoms appear and while treatment still has curative potential.
What will keep me going is detection of cancers for which we do not have standard-of-care tests, detected before symptoms at stages where there is an opportunity to manage these individuals with intent to cure.
I see early detection of cancer as being proactive, instead of reactive, about detecting the disease to address underdiagnosis. Earlier detection of cancer will result in the reduction of sickness and death from cancer. It provides an opportunity to deliver management, including surgeries and therapies, with intent to cure and not just to prolong life. Drugs that are now used to treat metastatic stages of cancer should have better results in individuals whose cancer was detected earlier.
I do not mean to minimize other aspects associated with the successful clinical implementation of a test, like cost, accessibility, etc. I have focused my answer on why it is worth trying to deliver such a test.
- 17 Aug ,2026
Interview with Professor Sarah-Jane Dawson, University of Melbourne
Professor Sarah-Jane Dawson, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre / University of Melbourne
PMWC 2027 Track 3, Day 2 Luminary Honoree
Talk: Liquid Biopsy for Precision Medicine: Going Beyond the Cancer Genome
1
Beyond Tumor Burden: A richer molecular snapshot from blood
ctDNA is becoming far more than a measure of how much cancer is present. Professor Dawson describes how genomic, fragmentomic, and epigenomic features can provide a more sophisticated real-time view of the disease and help guide therapy.
2
No One-Size-Fits-All Test: The technology must match the clinical question
The ctDNA field is not one assay serving every purpose. Different applications require different technologies, and progress will also depend on a deeper understanding of how cell-free DNA is released into circulation.
3
Ten Years From Now: ctDNA integrated into breast cancer care
The future is not simply more testing. It is routine clinical use of ctDNA to stratify risk, tailor treatment intensity, complement tissue analysis, and help determine when and how therapeutic intervention should change.
- 01 Aug ,2026
Interview with Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, University of Cambridge
Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, University of Cambridge
PMWC 2027 Track 3, Day 1 Luminary Honoree
Topic: Early cancer detection, Capsule Sponge implementation, and moving from screening to interception
1
From Evidence to Implementation: Crossing the clinical chasm
Capsule Sponge has moved further than most early detection technologies, but strong evidence alone does not change practice. Professor Fitzgerald explains why large trials, community delivery, and clinician adoption have proved harder than invention itself.
To generate compelling evidence for an early detection tool, you need large-scale studies. These trials are expensive, challenging to coordinate, and take time to report the results. We have completed three large trials to date, and the last one involved randomising 13,000 patients and interacting with lots of primary care practitioners to deliver the test conveniently in the community. Even though the evidence is sufficient for case-finding, we are now doing a 150,000-patient morbidity and mortality endpoint trial in mobile units to inform the UK National Screening Committee whether systematic, centralised screening could be warranted.
The test is now in clinical guidelines, but even though patients and the public are very keen on an easier, accessible tool, clinicians tend to be very cautious and need a lot of persuasion to move away from endoscopy as the first-line test. This is the case even when the data is compelling and even when this means that lots of individuals at risk for esophageal cancer are never tested for Barrett's esophagus. The implementation gap is well known, but I would call it a chasm rather than a gap.
2
Detection Is Not Enough: Screening must lead to action
Finding more abnormalities is not the same as saving lives. The real test of screening is whether it reaches the right population and connects patients to an intervention that changes outcomes.
In addition, we are not advocating testing everyone. We and others did a lot of work to understand who is at risk. For a cancer like esophageal cancer that is not common, it is vital to enrich the population for those at risk. This approach maximises the benefits and minimises the risks.
3
From Screening to Interception: The three links that must connect
Precision diagnostics will matter only when risk selection, test design, and treatment pathways work as one system. Otherwise, the field risks building expensive tests for people least likely to benefit.
Making expensive tests for the worried well with a low pre-test probability and uncertain treatment pathways will kill this important field.
- 13 Jul ,2026
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PMWC Overview
Overview
PMWC, the “Precision Medicine World Conference” is the largest & original annual conference dedicated to precision medicine. PMWC’s mission is to bring together recognized leaders, top global researchers and medical professionals, and innovators across healthcare and biotechnology sectors to showcase practical content that helps close the knowledge gap between different sectors, thereby catalyzing cross-functional fertilization & collaboration in an effort to accelerate the development and spread of precision medicine.
Since 2009, recognized as a vital cornerstone for all constituents of the health care and biotechnology community, PMWC provides an exceptional forum for the exchange of information about the latest advances in technology (e.g. DNA sequencing technology), in clinical implementation (e.g. cancer and beyond), research, and in all aspects related to the regulatory and reimbursement sectors.
Testimonials
Format
The conference format consists of five parallel talks spanning 3 full days. Main Tracks 1-4 include sessions by leaders in the commercial, pharmaceutical, academic, government, regulatory, venture capital, and non-profit arenas that deliver a broad and up-to-date array of content across the various facets of precision medicine. Session discussions focus on time-relevant aspects with a selected set of key stakeholders, while commercial sessions cover the latest developments in technologies that are instrumental for the success of further adoption of precision medicine.
Additional 2 Tracks, feature Showcases: companies and research institutions can promote their platforms, launch products, and share research developments to a targeted audience(Apply) & the Most Promising Company Competition: identifies “rising stars” startup companies in the area of diagnostics, therapeutics, and health tech via a platform that includes leading investors.
For over a decade, PMWC has recognized individuals who have played a significant role in transforming health care by advancing precision medicine in the clinic with the Luminary and Pioneer Awards. The honorees’ numerous technological and scientific contributions have expedited this transformation as demonstrated by the clinical adoption of precision medicine, and the ongoing introductions of novel clinical applications. For a deeper look into the fascinating achievements of our past awardees see the awards page.
