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Vision Zero Summit 2022
This year’s Vision Zero Summit took place in Berlin on the 20th and 21st of June and connected important players from academia and research, medical societies, associations and foundations, aiming to discuss joint activities to achieve a Vision Zero in medicine and particular in the field of oncology. To achieve a Vision Zero we must leave no stone unturned, and are in need of “courage and new ways of thinking – without stakeholder-lobbyism” as Prof. Christof von Kalle emphasized during the opening speech of the summit.
A major focus area of the Vision Zero association is giving cancer patients and their perspective a stronger voice in clinical research and clinical routine and the program of this year’s summit followed this path. Patient representatives highlighted important points to consider when planning and conducting clinical research, which included therapy and everyday life compatibility as well as overall quality of life. Particularly, patients wish to be better and timelier informed about treatment options regarding therapeutic and diagnostic means. Respective information should be distributed through all available communication channels and thus easily obtainable for everyone. Additionally, the patient representatives unitedly reported about their wish to be included and considered in research proposals and study design from early on. A wish backed by the State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) Judith Pirscher, who clarified: “new projects will only be considered for federal funding, if patient representatives are involved”.
Lectures by high-level speakers gave a comprehensive picture of the versatility and complexity with which cancer is being tackled today. Specific measures and intelligent concepts for the prevention and early detection of cancer were presented, as well as the current status of precision diagnostics and tailor-made/personalized oncological therapies. The topic of digitization in medicine - a further focus area of the Vision Zero association was discussed in every session of the event. Among all those involved, there was abroad consensus that digitization - whether in the public sector, in research or in interaction with research companies - must be significantly advanced for the benefit of improved medical and oncological care and getting one step closer towards a Vision Zero.
Another topic discussed with great intensity, was the status of clinical trials conducted in Germany at present. Germany, formerly knowns as “pharmacy of the world” has suffered losses regarding clinical research in terms of attractiveness and efficiency over the last years. Moderated by Susan Knoll, head of political communications at Tagesspiegel, the discussion between different representatives from academia and the pharmaceutical industry, resulted ever so often in an appeal to do everything possible to regain influence and attractiveness for impactful clinical trials in Germany. Valuable know-how, expertise and energy will be lost if nothing is changed – and as a worst-case scenario, medical innovations will no longer be available in Germany and for our patients in a timely manner, if at all.
Further highlights of the summit were the exciting lecture by Prof. Özlem Türeci, who presented current developments of personalized mRNA cancer vaccines, as well as sharing her vision of what is needed for a rapid transfer of innovative research results to the patient bedside. Likewise, the presentation of the Vision Zero Innovation Prize, which went to the researcher Dr. Theresa Bunse from DKFZ, for identifying molecular targets for the use of immunological cancer vaccines in malignant glioma.
Stimulating debates, inspiring lectures and lively conversations characterized the two-day event. At its end, a spirit of optimism and hope was in the air, which was aptly expressed by PStS State Secretary Edgar Franke in his speech: "The Vision Zero approach is right - not a single person should be dying of cancer.”
Let’s give cancer a red card.