The workshop is meant to address the very debated problem of the correct use of retrospective clinical studies. In our databanks and in our archives we have a huge number of clinical information and tissues that can be better used to shorten the period for clinical application of new biomarkers and for more useful subgrouping of patients with homogeneous clinical and molecular characteristics. This workshop is intended to take this problem to the European organizations in a multidisciplinary way and to consider the different aspects to improve this kind of studies at the epidemiological, pre-analytical, technical and interpretation level. We will be able to have much more information in clinics about new therapy results and we will be able to better prepare prospective clinical studies. The collection of molecular information from large case studies from human tissues could also give an improvement to the development of precision medicine. We are looking to see in Graz the major European experts on the issue to discuss the problem, to propose solutions and to prepare a white paper on the proper consideration of the role of retrospective studies on archived tissues in European STI policy.
Giorgio Stanta and Kurt Zatloukal