OCTOBER, 2023

Maintrac Online Forum Q4

HOW CAN MAINTRAC® BE USED TO SUPPORT BREAST CANCER THERAPY?

Prof. Katharina Pachamnn (Germany)

Dr. Joachim Fluhrer (Australia)

JULY, 2023

Maintrac Online Forum Q3

THERAPEUTIC SUBSTANCE TESTING ON CIRCULATING EPITHELIAL TUMOR CELLS

Prof. Katharina Pachamnn (Germany)

Julia Meckel

MAY, 2023

Maintrac Online Forum Q2

CHANGES IN THE NUMBER OF CIRCULATING EPITHELIAL TUMOR CELLS DURING RADIATION THERAPY

Prof. Katharina Pachamnn (Germany)

Dr. Joachim Fluhrer (Australia)

JANUARY, 2023

Maintrac Online Forum Q1

Testing of circulating tuMor stem cells by stemtrac® to assess tumor aggressiveness and risk of metastasis.

Dr. Monika Pizon

OCTOBER, 2022

Introduction to Maintrac INTERNATIONAL Online Forums

• The latest Oncological Topics

• The need of tumor patients for a promising therapy

• The scientific advances around Maintrac

Prof. Katarina Pachmann

October, 2021

Monitoring Your Cancer Patient - CTC’s, When, What and Why

Prof. Katharina Pachamnn (Germany)

Dr. Joachim Fluhrer (Australia)

September, 2021

Systems Approach to Cancer in Practice - Bringing Data(r) to Life

with Dr. Nina Fuller-Shavel (Integrative Oncologist)

JULY, 2021

EXACTA - The Most Comprehensive Tumour Testing Available Now

Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel (Integrative Oncologist)

Dr Tony Dhillon (Oncologist)

Dr Stefan Schuster (Molecular Scientist)

MARCH, 2021

Medlab’s NanoCelle® Technology for tolerable, safe and efficacious delivery of cannabinoids

Prof. Luis Vitetta

FEBRUARY, 2021

Maintrac 15 year data review: The dynamic CTC count testing is highly correlated with PFS and OS. Introduction of the DRiP test.

Prof. Katarina Pachmann

DECEMBER, 2020

Repurposed Drugs for Management of Cancer

Dr. Barbara Fougere

October, 2020

GENOSTICS CANCER CONFERENCE 2020 - ONLINE

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS IV - Evidence-based adjunctive therapies for cancer patients

Innovation in molecular biology is the cornerstone of the burgeoning paradigm of personalised medicine. We are amidst the throws of the ‘omics’ revolution, and ever-increasingly quantity and quality data is being made available to practitioners and patients at a phenomenal rate. The translation of this valuable information into clinical practice is now the focus of major clinical trials around the world. Whilst finding itself on the brink of the era of personalised medicine, the medical community is now calling for a practical strategy to navigate the diagnostic and therapeutic options available for customised cancer treatment.

The 2020 Genostics ‘Know Your Options’ conference seeks to bridge this gap by offering practitioners an insight into clinical tools for evidence-based personalised cancer treatment currently being utilised in clinical practice around the world. Lectures and workshops will outline practical strategies in personalised diagnostics and discuss adjunctive treatment protocols to enhance the effectiveness of chemo-, radio- and targeted therapy.

With both international and national presenters who are working at the cutting edge of precision medicine, this conference is a must!

October, 2019

CTCs and IV Botanicals
Additional Diagnoses and Therapies for the Patient with Metastases

Dr. Joachim Fluhrer, Genostics
B. Pharm Bob Harrison, Terry White Chemmart

Melbourne, VIC
Middle Park Hotel

Adelaide, SA
The Lion Hotel - Vine Room

Fremantle, WA
The Esplanade

Sydney, NSW
Four In Hand

Gold Coast, QLD

june, 2019

GENOSTICS CTC Seminar with Prof K Pachmann

Gold Coast, QLD

Sydney, NSW

Melbourne, VIC

TOPICS:

• Update on Liquid Biopsy

• New Tests for Immunotherapies

• Report on recent Studies and Publications

• Practicality of Liquid Biopsy in the Management of Cancer Patients

DECEMber, 2018

BOTANICAL IMMUNODRUGS:
Clinical protocols for IV botanicals and indications for use in immunomodulatory cancer therapies

Speaker: Dr. Jürgen Arnhold (Oncologist, Germany)

Topics covered:

• Review and update of IV botanicals for cancer

• IV botanical protocols in cancer management

• Questions and case studies (to be submitted upon registration)

Dr. Jürgen Arnhold has been working to improve the therapeutic affect of botanical immunodrugs for cancer patients. In his webinar, the oncopharmacological properties, indications for use and treatment protocols for IV curcumin and other botanical agents were discussed, as well as questions and case studies submitted by attending practitioners. This webinar was a follow-on from Dr. Arnhold’s lecture and subsequent workshops at the recent Genostics Cancer Conference.

NOVEMber, 2018

CTCs AND ENDOCRINE THERAPY
The Value of Monitoring the Behavior of Circulating Tumor Cells at the End of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients

Prof. Katharina Pachmann (Research Oncologist, Germany)

Topics covered:

• Research results

• Clinical significance of results

Abstract: After five years of endocrine therapy, patients with ER+ (estrogen receptor positive) breast cancer face the question of the benefit of further treatment. Ten years of endocrine therapy has been demonstrated to improve survival compared to five years. However, the individual benefit of continuation remains unclear. Therefore, markers for predicting benefit from endocrine treatment and extended endocrine treatment are desperately needed. In this study the dynamics over time of the tumor cells circulating in peripheral blood of patients, circulating tumor cells/ circulating epithelial tumor cells (CTC/CETC), as the systemic part of the tumor were investigated in 36 patients with ER+ primary breast cancer. CTC/CETCs were monitored serially during and after endocrine therapy. After termination of endocrine therapy 12 patients showed an increase in CTC/CETCs, with 8 of 12 suffering relapse. No change or a reduction was observed in 24 patients, with 2 of 24 suffering relapse. Initial tumor size was marginally prognostic (p = 0.053) but not nodal status nor the mere number of CTC/CETCs. Only the trajectory of CTC/CETCs was a statistically significant predictor of relapse free survival (increasing cell numbers: mean = 940 days vs. stable/decreasing cell numbers mean not reached). Individual cases demonstrated that an increase of CTC/CETCs after discontinuation of tamoxifen therapy could be stopped by resuming the endocrine therapy.

October, 2018

WORKSHOPS: BOTANICAL IMMUNODRUGS
Indications for use in immunomodulatory cancer therapies

Dr. Jürgen Arnhold, Oncologist, Germany
Prof. Katharina Pachmann, Research Oncologist, Germany

Sydney, Gold Coast and Melbourne
National Institute of Integrative Medicine

Dr. Jürgen Arnhold has been working to improve the therapeutic affect of botanical immunodrugs for cancer patients. In his workshop, the oncopharmacological properties, indications for use and treatment protocols for IV curcumin and other botanical agents will be discussed. Prof. Katharina Pachmann will share insights into chemosensitivity profiling of metastasising cancer cells in regards to their resistance or sensitivity to botanical agents.

October, 2018

GENOSTICS CANCER CONFERENCE 2018

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS III
Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney

This full weekend conference outlined an integrative approach to clinical diagnostics, treatment and monitoring of cancers, with a particular focus on immune therapies and within the burgeoning paradigm of precision medicine.

JUNE, 2018

Are CTCs ripe for screening?

Prof. Katharina Pachmann

Invasion occurs very early in tumour development. Before a malignant tumour is detectable with standard imaging techniques, a subpopulation of tumour cells may detach from the primary lesion, migrate through the extracelluar matrix and invade the bloodstream. Here, the more aggressive subtypes survive despite annoikis, abrasive forces and attack from the immune system. These cells are called Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs). CTCs have often downregulated their phenotype and adopted stem-cell features. Heterogenous to cells of the primary cancer, CTCs may be able resistant to treatment of curative intent. This resistance, together with environmental stimulus may trigger the cells to extravase from the bloodstream and proliferate as a metastatic lesion.

CTC count (blood test to look for numbers of CTCs per volume of peripheral blood) is now well established as a prognostic indicator and a tool to monitor treatment effectiveness. The current topic that is taking the research community by storm is whether detection of these cells may be used clinically as a tool for diagnostic screening. Challenges that researchers are up against is the fact that these cells are extremely rare, in comparison to the volume of blood cells. CTCs also often downregulate detectable antigens, meaning they may evade detection. Despite the existence of methods with extremely high sensitivity profiles, the risk of false diagnosis remains. In this webinar, Prof. Katharina Pachmann will be discussing the current status and the future prospective of CTCs as a clinical tool in early diagnostic screening.

june, 2018

Clinical relevance of target and resistance biomarkers on Circulating Tumour Cells

Speaker: Dr. Joachim Fluhrer

Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs) are the haematogenous, metastasising population of cancer cells. Having undergone the Epithelial-Mesenchyme Transition, CTCs have stem-cell-like features that bestow them with powerful proliferative potential. Thus activation and extravasion of these cells can lead to metastasis. Due to cancer's inherent genetic instability, CTCs are heterogenous to cells of the primary tumour. Their enumeration and analysis can offer valuable information about a patient's cancer and individualised metastatic prevention strategies. Downstream analysis of these cells gives clinicians powerful clues as to their likely response to targeted therapies, as well as their potential resistance mechanisms. Some of the biomarkers that will be discussed are:

• ki67: Marker of proliferative capacity. Used in combination with other markers, ki67 can be useful in determining, for example, the proportion of PSA-positive cells with proliferative capacity.

• ER: Metastatic breast cancer patients with ER-positive primary tumours have frequently been shown to have ER-negative CTCs. As a result, these cells are likely to resist endocrine therapy.

• AR: Acquired resistance to first line hormonal therapy in prostate cancer is heterogeneous in the extent of androgen receptor pathway reactivation. Measurement of pre- and post- treatment AR signaling within CTCs may help target such treatments to patients most likely to respond to second line therapies.

• PD-L1 has emerged as a critical inhibitory pathway in regulating T-Cell response. Nevertheless, much of the tumour immune resistance pathways are yet to be elucidated and there is still a high degree of non-responders to treatment. CTCs represent a non-invasive liquid biopsy where the subgroup of non-responders may be identified early.

APRIL, 2018

Cancer and the microbiome

Prof. Luis Vitetta

Topics include:

• The human microbiome

• Bacteria and cancer

• Probiotics as adjuvant treatments

Cancer arises from the acquisition of multiple genetic and epigenetic changes in host cells over the span of many years, promoting oncogenic traits and carcinogenesis. Studies of cancer in mice have long had anecdotal evidence that shifts in the microbiome influence the development of diverse tumour types Mechanisitic evidence is now available to support the posit that that the intestinal microbiota plays a major part in defining both the efficacy and toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. However, the biological complexity encountered remains a major barrier to further progressing our understanding of mechanisms at work.

MARCH, 2018

The interplay between metastasising cancer cells and immunotherapy

Dr. Joachim Fluhrer

Topics include

• Immune system and inflammation in oncogenomics

• Natural Killer cells in cancer and immunotherapy

• Downregulated CTCs and CTC fragments as markers of immune activity

Details:

• The resistance mechanisms of tumour cells are now a focus of Oncology research laboratories and clinics across the globe. Despite surgery, chemotherapeutic treatment and ionizing radiation, cancers can spread or relapse, and it is this metastatic progression that is primarily responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths.

• The last decade has seen a burgeoning of research and interest in the harnessing the role of the immune system in the treatment cancer.  Both the innate and adaptive immune systems play a critical role in preventing the development of neoplastic disease in a process called 'immunosurveillance.' When the immune system is functioning well, tumour cells are eliminated. When the immune response is inadequate, tumour growth and immunosurveillance enter a tug-of-war until a tumour cell mutates to evade surveillance and proliferates. 

• Recent advances in understanding the biology of Natural Killer (NK) cells has generated enormous interest in their clinical utility. NK cells possess powerful anti-tumour mechanisms that show great potential in counteracting the a tumour's evasion of the immune system.

• Circulating Tumour Cells are the metastasising population of cancer cells that have mutated to allow migration into the bloodstream. The dynamics of these cells as indicators of treatment response and metastatic potential has been repeatedly demonstrated. The most aggressive of these cells are able to evade the immune system and may eventuate in metastatic growth. Knowledge of the immunogenicity of these cells and their interplay with Natural Killer cells represent a new point of conversion between the prevention of tumour progression and immunotherapy.

FEBRUARY, 2018

Detection and relevance of circulating Cancer Stem Cells and Tumour Spheres

Dr. Joachim Fluhrer

Topics include

• Epithelial-Mesenchyme-Transition markers

• Detection of metastases-initiating CTCs

• Clinical utility of circulating Cancer Stem Cells and Tumour Spheres

DETAILS
The identification and characterization of the subset of metastasis-initiating cells among the Circulating Tumour Cell (CTC) population in patients is of paramount clinical importance. The Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a process of dedifferentation that sub-populations  of cancer cells undergo that render them motile and stem-cell like. Resent research in multiple cancer types have demonstrated that major proportions of CTCs in metastatic cancers display EMT and stem cell properties. These cells were often found to travel in clusters of 2-50 cells, with the ratio of single vs clustered CTCs varying significantly among different patients, and along disease progression. The presence and increasing proportion of CTC clusters, called 'Tumour Sphere Units' in the circulation is associated with poor metastases-free and overall survival.

This webinar details the detection and clinical utility of these circulating cancer cell clusters and their stem-cell-like nature. The webinar is 40 minutes and will include a discussion.

NOVEMBER, 2017

Genostics Cancer Conference 2017

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS II
Four Seasons, Sydney

The conference is focused on available options for personalised diagnostics and the effective monitoring of a person's cancer in real time, as well as presented additional treatment strategies that may arise from personalised diagnostics.

Click here to download full seminar brochure
Click here to view lecture timetable

DECEMBER, 2015

CTC Seminar:

Monitoring the effectiveness of cancer treatment

A joint-seminar with Dr. Katherina Pachmann and Dr. Fluhrer

Practitioners are invited to join practitioners at the Genostics CTC Seminar designed to bring you the latest information on how to monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatment, presented by world-renowned CTC scientist Prof. Katherina PachmannThe Seminar

Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs) are the metastasising population of cancer cells. CTCs are now well established as independent prognostic indicators of metastatic disease. CTC enumeration and analysis represents a 'fluid-biopsy,' with results now firmly associated with clinical outcome. Practitioners and Oncologists who are interested or are already benefiting from using CTC-tests will be in attendance.

Prof. Katherina Pachmann is a world-renowned expert in Circulating Tumour Cell science - both in research and in translational medicine. She has worked internationally in academically and scientifically acclaimed cell research centers. She will be presenting new research at COSA and the World Cancer Congress in November in Melbourne, as well as presenting seminars to practitioners in locations around Australia and New Zealand.

Dr. Joachim Fluhrer has recently been acknowledged internationally for Excellence in Integrative Medicine, and will be touring alongside Prof. Pachmann. Dr. Fluhrer brings his clinical and medical expertise to the discussion table, and is passionate about facilitating the best in evidence-based medical research for use in the clinical setting.

This seminar will be a unique opportunity to meet CTC expert scientist Prof. Pachmann and discuss clinical cases you might have with her and Dr. Fluhrer together. The seminar will include updates on the latest in CTC-technology and how it is revolutionising cancer monitoring, and will be a great chance to meet and discuss personalised cancer treatment with colleagues.

More info.. Professor Pachmann has concentrated her research career on the detection, identification, and treatment of cancer cells in the peripheral blood. Professor Pachmann has worked in cell research internationally in academically and scientifically acclaimed centres such as Karolinka Insitute Stockholm, Sweden; Institute of Hematology,GSF Munich, Germany; MD Anderson Cancer Centre Houston, Texas.

Presently Professor Pachmann has her laboratory at the Klinik fur Innere Medizin II Fredrich-Schiller Universitat in Germany, where she holds Professorship Experimental Hematology and Oncology. Professor Pachmann has numerous publications in world renowned journals of Hematology, Clinical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Cancer Research.

CTC Webinar Series

Presented by Dr Joachim Fluhrer

Level I: (Completed)
Metastatic biology, Circulating Tumour Cells and personalised cancer management

Level II: (Completed)
In the clinic: monitoring treatment effectiveness and metastatic risk, CTC test selection and report interpretation

Level III: (Completed)
Clinical Case Discussions: practitioner presentations