DR.
HALUSKA: Thanks, Ulrich, and I think we can pretty much draw things
to a conclusion. I don't think we need a summary of the summaries.
So, I would
just like to close by thanking you all for taking part. It has
clearly been a time of real foment. There are a lot of currents
swirling around now.
This is an
interesting time for melanoma, what with the new genetic discoveries
going on, our emerging thoughts about both successes and failures
in immunotherapy, how to direct our efforts in the future.
I think this
has been an extraordinarily exciting meeting, and it is certainly
a tribute to all your hard work that that is true.
I want to
thank Scott for taking the lead on this and Vern for partnering
this, and I will turn it over to Vern, and then Scott has a few
closing remarks he would like to say. Thanks.
DR. SONDAK:
I really have nothing to add but my thanks to all of you for taking
time out of your busy schedule.
I think Frank
is right on. This was an ideal time to engage in this reflection,
not because we have all the answers, but because, if we don't
ask the questions now, we will kick ourselves a few years from
now, for not having asked them.
The only thing
I want to quibble with, with what Frank said earlier is, I don't
think this is a zero sum game.
I don't think
we have to think about melanoma as one entity, and the more we
do of one type of study, the less we can do of another study.
There are
finite resources that are devoted to melanoma, but also there
are also opportunities to increase our resources in a broad variety
of areas and, with that, I will turn things over to Scott for
the last word.
DR. SAXMAN:
I would just like to say, on behalf of CTEP and the NCI, that
we are very grateful that you all have come and participated in
what I think was a very important and valuable meeting.
I think the
timeliness and the importance of this is evidenced by the fact
that all of you were willing to take two-and-a-half days out of
your busy lives to come and participate in this important conference,
from as far away as Europe and Australia.
I would like
to thank particularly the breakout session leaders, the people
who did the educational sessions on Tuesday morning, all the presenters
from Monday.
I won't go
through everyone's names, but you know who they are, and they
put a lot of time and effort into this, and I think that was apparent,
and I would like to thank them.
I would particularly
like to thank the leadership team, Alan Halperin, Ulrich Keilholz,
Walt Urba and Lynda Chin, who spent a lot of time putting this
together.
I hope that
it is obvious over the last two-and-a-half days, that a lot of
time and work went into this, and without the leadership of Vern
and Frank, and their willingness to put in a lot of their own
time and a lot of their own efforts and energy to make this happen,
it would not have happened, and I am very grateful for that.
One of the
things they have had to deal with are the difficulties and the
differences in a government-sponsored meeting as opposed to, say,
a pharmaceutical sponsored meeting, and those are some major hurdles
sometimes that have to be surmounted.
Nowhere is
that more evident than in the honorarium, or the lack thereof.
However, I do have a small token of my appreciation for Frank
and Vern's efforts here, that you can wear proudly. This is in
lieu of grant support. So, if you will all join me in thanking
them?
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