The College hosted 70 delegates for a special meeting on biomarkers on 10 September 2026 to bring together a range of stakeholders to discuss key issues in biomarker research and implementation. 

MSD UK, one of our corporate members, funded the meeting and organised the keynote session, delivered by Professor Manuel Salto-Tellez. The meeting was co-chaired by RCPath President, Dr Bernie Croal and RCPath Vice President for Learning, Professor Marta Cohen and attendees included pathologists, clinical scientists, academics, oncologists, representatives from industry and other stakeholders including regulatory bodies. 

Professor Salto-Tellez, who is the Chair of Molecular Pathology at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), the Professor on Integrative Pathology at the Institute for Cancer Research in London (ICR), and the lead of the Royal Marsden Hospital / ICR Integrated Pathology Unit, delivered an engaging keynote address entitled ‘Immunohistochemistry in the genomic era’.

This was followed by a speaker session entitled ‘Translating research into patient care’ and a panel discussion on opportunities and barriers in treatment-guiding biomarkers in UK cancer services. Speakers for this session were Dr Shirley Hopper, Expert Medical Assessor, Biological Products, MHRA; Professor Tim Kendall, Chair of Pathological Society Clinical Trials Pathology Subcommittee; and Professor Louise Jones, Professor of breast pathology, Queen Mary University of London and Genomics England.
 

The final session was a panel discussion introduced and chaired by Dr Bernie Croal, with a focus on opportunities and barriers in treatment-guiding biomarkers in UK cancer services. Five invited panellists from a range of sectors each gave short introductory remarks to summarise their perspective on this topic, after which delegates were able to ask questions and put forward comments, generating a lively interactive discussion.

Panellists were Professor Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer, NHSE; Professor Naomi Allen, Chief Scientist, UK Biobank; Dr Mike Hubank, Scientific Director, Clinical Genomics, The Royal Marsden, Professor of Translational Genomics, ICR and Scientific Director, NHS England North Thames Genomic Laboratory Hub; Helen Dent, CEO, BIVDA; and Joseph Burt, Head of Diagnostics and General Medical Devices, MHRA.

We were delighted to welcome such an esteemed speaker line-up to the College for this important meeting, and are grateful to all who presented, and to MSD UK for funding the event. We also thank all delegates for their participation and contributions. A co-badged report on the key points covered and discussed at the meeting is now in development and will be published in early 2027. 

For the full programme and speaker biographies, visit the event page.