27/11/12

Cancer Issue to Be the Focus at the 7th Princess Chulabhorn International Science Congress

The 7th Princess Chulabhorn International Science Congress, a major gathering of scientists in Thailand, will focus on the theme “Cancer: From Basic Research to Cure.”
Organized by the Chulabhorn Research Institute, the five-day congress will take place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok from 29 November to 3 December 2012.
More than 600 people from various countries, including Thailand, will participate in this event. Professor Dr. Her Royal Princess Chulabhorn, the President of the Chulabhorn Research Institute, will preside over the opening ceremony at 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, 29 November. On this occasion, Her Royal Highness will give a keynote address on the topic "Environmental and life-style factors contributing to cancer incidence in Asia."
At this congress, Professor John Michael Bishop, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, will give a lecture on “Cancer: The genomic era arrives.” The congress program also includes plenary lectures, symposia, and poster presentations.
Realizing that cancer is a global issue that affects everyone, either directly or indirectly, and that it is now the leading cause of death in both the developed and developing world, Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn has deemed it important to focus on the issue of cancer at the 7th Princess Chulabhorn International Science Congress. 
The congress serves as a forum for presenting the latest developments in all areas of cancer research, including cancer etiology and molecular mechanisms, strategies for cancer prevention, early detection and diagnosis, as well as therapeutic interventions, all of which are crucial in the battle to overcome cancer.
It is said that more people die from cancer than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined, and the death toll is set to rise dramatically over the coming decades. It has been predicted that over the next 10 years, as many as 84 million people will die of cancer and more than 70 percent of them will be in the developing world. 
The Princess Chulabhorn International Science Congress Program was initiated by Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn to provide a forum for the exchange of the latest information and the most recent advances in research among the international scientific community. Under this program, international congresses on selected topics in science and technology are organized every four to five years.
The sixth congress took place in 2007 to commemorate the 80th birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King. The seventh congress is being held to pay tribute to His Majesty the King on the occasion of his 84th birthday anniversary in 2011 and to Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of her 80th birthday anniversary in 2012. 
Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn, who is also the Chairperson of the National Organizing Committee for the Congress, is the youngest daughter of Their Majesties King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand. As a qualified scientist, she has always attached the greatest importance to the role of science in social and economic development, and accordingly conceived the idea of creating a national institute to assist in the development of Thailand.
(thailand.prd.go.th)