Ninth annual meeting of the Italian Network for Tumor Biotherapy (NIBIT), Siena, Italy, October 19–22, 2011: New perspectives in the immunotherapy of cancer

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Immuno-biotherapy is a rapidly evolving field in the care of cancer patients, and it will likely continue to provide novel and effective therapeutic options in the next years. This swift evolution has been due to the in-depth understanding of basic immuno-biologic mechanisms regulating tumor-host interactions and to the rapid translation of different therapeutic agents and strategies in the clinical setting. A fundamental role in this process has been played by tight scientific interactions among highly qualified research groups; to foster these, both at basic and clinical level, different national networks focusing on immuno-biotherapy have been recently established in European countries. However, the key to further success of cancer immuno-biotherapy will undoubtedly be to enlarge and strengthen collaborations at European level and to generate strong scientific and operative connections with existing non-European networks interested in such a project. On these premises, the Italian Network of Tumor Biotherapy (NIBIT), established in 2004, organized its annual meeting together with that of the European Society of Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy (ESCII) on October 19–22, 2011 in Siena, Italy. Aim of the meeting was to create a shared and structured venue to stimulate a pan-European liaison among existing national networks to promote pre-clinical and clinical research activities in cancer immuno-biotherapy. To foster a more global interest in the field, non-academic bodies such as regulatory agencies and industry were also involved in the meeting. The meeting undoubtedly provided an appropriate environment for such a “network of national European networks”. …