Preface

Takeo Fukushima

This special issue of ANTICANCER RESEARCH presents the Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Biotherapeutic Approaches. It is our great pleasure to introduce this issue expressing my sincere gratitude to the Editors of Anticancer Research for kindly accepting and publishing the proceedings of our regional meeting in Japan in ANTICANCER RESEARCH.

The 23rd meeting was held in Niigata, Japan on December 7, 2019, chaired by Professor Masayuki Nashimoto, Research Institute for Healthy Living, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Science, Japan and Director Hiroshi Terada, Research Institute for Healthy Living, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Science, Japan. One of the highlights in this conference was the special lecture on “History of macrophage research” presented by Honorary professor Makoto Naito, Niigata University, Japan. In addition, there were many oral presentations on a wide range of basic and clinical topics, offering impressive advances in this field.

The main aims of our Society are to facilitate good communication between basic researchers and clinicians, and to perform clinical trials with adequate informed consent in an appropriate and professional manner. These aspects include important issues for the progress of biotherapy, as well as for medicine in general. It is our sincere hope that these Proceedings will contribute to further progress in the field of biotherapy and that our members will continue to foster the aims of our Society.