With the great progress we see in the field of Precision Medicine, there are still critical issues that we need to overcome whether it is the definition of value-based pricing, the successful development and application of clinical biomarkers, working in patient privacy, integrating and sharing different types of clinical data, not forgetting the patients and physicians perspective, keeping the cost down, and more.

Here is what’s on the PMWC 2017 agenda, in its 11^th installment:

• Over 40 session with 160 thought provoking, insightful talks that cover all facets of Precision Medicine whether it is the research and science that underpins it, the new clinical applications that are evolving, the commercial innovations and new products that impact its adoption, the regulatory framework that governs it, the data challenges we need to address for successful decision making, the IP- and reimbursement-related challenges we need to overcome, or the markets that drive its development and adoption.
• Four parallel tracks highlighting recognized authorities across the healthcare and biotechnology sectors, including medical/hospital, pharma and biotech, provider, academia, government, regulatory, IP, payors, and VCs. Topics will touch on all the relevant aspects of precision medicine, including current hot topics like immunotherapy, the Precision Medicine Initiative (now “All of Us”), the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, liquid biopsy, the human microbiome, cancer and companion diagnostics development, and more.
• An amazing line-up of 200+ speakers including James Allison (MD Anderson), Atul Butte (UCSF), FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, Claudia Williams (White House), Chris Cournoyer (N-of-One), Eric Dishman (NIH), Jennifer Doudna (UC Berkeley), Rodney Hochman (Providence St. Joseph Health), Marc Tessier-Lavigne (Stanford University), Harold Paz (Aetna), George Post (ASU), Richard Scheller (23andMe), Randy Scott (Invitae), Greg Simon (Cancer Moonshot Task Force), the program chair Dr. Keith Yamamoto (UCSF), and many more.
• The “PMWC Most Promising Company Competition” event – that allows a pre-selected group of hopeful startups to make their mark in the space of Precision Medicine: Judged by an extraordinary panel that includes individuals from institutions such as Sutter Hill, Kleiner Perkins Claufield & Byers, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Five Prime Ventures, Breakout Ventures, and Frazier Healthcare Partners.
• Honoring preeminent figures with the Luminary and Pioneer Awards who have accelerated precision medicine into the clinical marketplace or individuals that have presaged the advent of precision medicine at a time when enabling technologies had not fully evolved yet.This year, PMWC will be honoring:
  • Edward F. Chang  (UCSF) for developing advanced neurophysiologic brain mapping methods.
  • Jennifer Doudna (UC Berkeley)for spearheading the development of the groundbreaking CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology.
  • James Allison (MD Anderson Cancer Center)will be recognized for pioneering cancer immunotherapy through his discovery of the immune checkpoint blockade.
  • Dr. Stephen Quake (Stanford University) for his prolific inventions of technologies in microfluidics and genetics that have enabled personalized medicine, drug discovery, and non-invasive diagnostics.