Over 30 representatives from the Euroregional oncology ecosystem (public authorities, companies, clusters and researchers) came together under the headline “Thematic Oncology visit in Bordeaux – Nouvelle Aquitaine”.

The event was organised by the partners of the ONCONAEN Euroregional project on geriatric cancer. It took place at the Bergonié Institute, research and clinic centre, an international reference for oncology with 75 years of experience in cancer treatment. The event was presented by Professor Emmanuel BUSSIERES, the Medical Policy Director.

Some 30 representatives from companies, institutions and research centres from Navarre, Nouvelle Aquitaine and the Basque Country attended the event which alternated institutional presentations from health care players in Nouvelle Aquitaine with brief presentations (in the form of “pitches”) from companies based in Navarre, the Basque Country and Aquitaine, the majority of which are now international companies. The day ended with a visit to the Bergonié Institute and presentations of the cutting edge treatment protocols that have been implemented at the centre.

On the one hand, it allowed the delegates from the Basque Country and Navarre to learn about the reality that Nouvelle Aquitaine faces regarding the fight against cancer, a strategic priority of public policies and for Aquitaine research. On the other hand, it gave 10 companies the opportunity to let others know about their business, establishing beneficial contacts.

Jean Palussière, an interventional radiologist, noted that the results were very positive in order to progress in the fight against cancer; one example is the very recent breast cancer treatment experiment using ultrasound (first in the world), which allows tumour growth to be modelled based on medical imaging, leading to better adapted treatment protocols based on the predictions.

The event hosts, the GIPSO, TIC Santé Cluster and the Basque Health Cluster, closed the day by thanking for the enthusiastic participation of so many attendees. They announced that the 4th Euroregional Biohealth meetings will take place in Donostia-San Sebastian on 16-17 October, and the 2nd ONCONAEN interclustering day will be held in Pamplona in February 2019, hosted by SODENA.