Acknowledgments - OOTR Annual Conference 2012 Proceedings.

It gives me great pleasure to announce the successful conclusion of the OOTR 8th Annual Conference, which was held on 20 and 21 April 2012 at the Westin Miyako Hotel, Kyoto, Japan. Since its last conference in Hong Kong in 2011, the Organisation for Oncology and Translational Research has continued to conduct a wide range of detailed clinical trials alongside hi-tech translational research, pushing on further than ever before in finding an optimal treatment strategy and a range of individualized treatment modalities for cancer patients. A great deal of valuable feedback from seasoned oncology professionals as well as newcomers to the field has been gratefully received and acted on by OOTR, helping us to continue our progress into cancer therapeutic research. Ever since the founding meeting in Hong Kong in 2004, OOTR has continued to learn and grow with the passing of each annual conference. Every conference has had a fundamental bearing on how we define treatment and guidelines regarding the latest scientific findings and methodologies toward improving cancer treatment and prevention. Based upon valuable lessons learned from the previous conferences, the OOTR 8th Annual Conference this time focused on cancer stem cells and cancer stroma. There were lectures on angiogenesis, predictive biomarkers for cancer therapy, prevention of oncological diseases, and hormone dependency and therapy. We held in-depth sessions in which we discussed the promotion of more appropriate therapeutic research and the advancement of more individualized treatments. The OOTR 8th Annual Conference proved to be an excellent opportunity for oncology professionals to participate in discussions, share experiences, meet like-minded professionals, and evaluate state-of-the-art hi-tech technologies. I extend my most heartfelt thanks to the contributing lecturers who traveled from all parts of the world to present their wonderful lectures at the seven key sessions: Session 1 - Hormone dependency and independence Session 2 - Prevention of oncological diseases Session 3 - Cancer stem cell and innovative therapeutics Session 4 - Advances in endothelial biology and cancer biology Session 5 - Antiangiogenesis update Session 6 - Predictive biomarkers and novel therapeutics Session 7 - Prevention of oncological diseases I would also like to express my gratitude to the three guest editors of the OOTR proceedings: Dr Shigehira Saji of the Target Therapy Oncology Department, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University; Dr Kiyotsugu Yoshikawa of the Innovation Center, Laboratory for Malignancy Control Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, and Dr Katsumasa Kuroi, Deputy-Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center, Komagome Hospital. Their selfless assistance is much appreciated. I would like to thank the sponsors of the OOTR 8th Annual Conference for providing us with the means to make the conference a success: the Kyoto Prefecture, the Osaka Community Foundation, the Novartis Foundation (Japan), plus the many other pharmaceutical companies, charitable foundations and private businesses who have offered us their generous support.