Symposium Agenda
Tuesday 3rd November 2026 | Crick Institute, London
08:45 - 09:15
Registration
Refreshments, informal networking, and poster mounting.
09:15 - 09:30
Welcome & Opening Remarks: “Why is early-onset colorectal cancer rising and why don’t we have a unifying explanation?”
Dr Rosiered Brownson-Smith (King’s College London), Dr Penelope Edwards (Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden), and Professor Kevin Monahan (Imperial College London).
09:30 - 10:15
Opening Keynote: The Rising Challenge of EOCRC: “What are we missing and why are patients still being diagnosed too late?
Invited speaker: Professor Mike Stratton (Wellcome Sanger Institute).
10:15 - 11:15
Session 1: Mechanisms and Biology of EOCRC: "How can cancer age inform screening in EOCRC?"
One invited talk
Short talks from abstracts
Invited speaker: Professor Trevor Graham (Institute of Cancer Research).
11:15 - 11:35
Coffee Break
Refreshments, poster viewing, and ECR-PI networking tables.
11:35 - 12:35
Session 2: Screening Challenges: “How do we detect EOCRC earlier in those not captured in current screening?”
One invited talk
Short talks from abstracts
Invited speaker: Mrs Sally Benton (Royal Surrey NHS Trust).
12:35 - 13:30
Lunch
Buffet, poster viewing, and networking.
13:30 - 14:15
ECR Dragon’s Den Pitch: “What bold, early-stage ideas could transform how we understand or prevent EOCRC?”
Submitted pitches.
14:15 - 15:15
Session 3: Microbiome, Immunology & Environment: “How do environmental exposures and the microbiome interact with the immune system to drive early carcinogenesis?”
One invited talk
Short talks from abstracts
Invited speaker: Mr James Kinross (Imperial College London).
15:15 - 15:45
Meet-the-speaker sessions (bookable slots) ECR Development and Collaboration Session.
Led by Crick, KCL, UCL, and Imperial representatives.
15:45 - 16:30
Session 4: PROSPECT session: The EAT-FIBRE Randomised Controlled Trial, PROSPECT-UK Digital Cohort and Impact of Patient Advocacy
Panel: Dr Anisha Patel (Patient Advocate), Dr Rosiered Brownson-Smith (King's College London), and Dr Sylvia Zanesco (King's College London).
16:30 - 17:15
Panel Discussion: From Discovery to Impact. “How do we accelerate progress in EOCRC? What will it take to move from understanding EOCRC to preventing it and treating it better?”
Panel: Professor Eva Morris (University of Oxford), Professor David Church (University of Oxford), Dr Jayant Rane (University College London), Dr Emily Leeming (King's College London), Patient advocate TBC.
17:15 - 17:30
Prize giving and Closing Remarks.
Presentation of sponsor awards.
17:30 - 19:00
Networking drinks
Please join us to continue the discussion.