15 Posts Not to Miss from ESMO TAT Asia 2025

The ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies (ESMO TAT) Asia 2025 Congress took place in Hong Kong SAR, China, from July 18 to 20, bringing together global leaders in early-phase oncology research and drug development.
As the Asian edition of ESMO’s renowned TAT series, the congress served as a critical platform for showcasing advances in first-in-human trials, novel therapeutic approaches, and biomarker-driven strategies in cancer treatment.

This year’s scientific program offered a rich and highly specialized agenda, including data from breakthrough early-phase clinical trials, expert-led symposia on translational oncology, and sessions addressing the evolving landscape of precision medicine. Topics ranged from ADCs and bispecific antibodies to immune modulation, synthetic lethality, and AI-powered drug discovery.

With participants representing academic institutions, clinical research centers, biotech companies, and regulatory agencies, TAT Asia 2025 fostered a collaborative environment focused on accelerating the translation of scientific discovery into therapeutic innovation. Cross-sector dialogue and real-world insights were at the heart of the discussions.

A strong focus was placed on nurturing emerging talent, with dedicated sessions for young investigators, abstract awards, and career development forums designed to support the next generation of oncology pioneers.

ESMO TAT Asia 2025 Scientific Co-Chairs

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	Dr. Byoung Chul Cho is a leading medical oncologist based in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He serves as a Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at Yonsei University College of Medicine and is the Director of the Lung Cancer Center at Yonsei Cancer Center. Dr. Cho also heads the Yonsei New Il Han Institute for Integrative Lung Cancer Research. His research focuses on targeted therapies and immuno-oncology, and he has led more than 60 early-phase clinical trials, including numerous first-in-human studies. With over 250 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals, Dr. Cho is internationally recognized for his contributions to lung cancer research and drug development.
	Dr. Yasushi Goto is a prominent thoracic oncologist based in Tokyo, Japan, known for his leadership in the treatment and clinical research of lung cancer. He is affiliated with the Department of Thoracic Oncology at the National Cancer Center Hospital, where he focuses on precision medicine approaches for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including EGFR-mutant and ALK-rearranged subtypes. Dr. Goto has authored over 220 peer-reviewed publications and is actively involved in both clinical trials and real-world studies. His work spans immunotherapy combinations, targeted therapies, and biomarker-driven treatment strategies. He frequently serves as a chair and invited speaker at major oncology conferences and plays a central role in advancing early-phase drug development and personalized cancer care in Japan.
	Dr. Brigette B. Y. Ma is a distinguished medical oncologist based in Hong Kong SAR, China, holding the positions of Professor and Honorary Consultant in the Department of Clinical Oncology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She also serves as Medical Director of the Phase I Clinical Trial Centre and Co‑Director of the Cancer Drug Testing Unit, where she plays a pivotal role in advancing early-phase oncology studies. Her clinical and research interests focus on novel therapeutics, immunotherapy, and biomarker-driven strategies, particularly within gastrointestinal and nasopharyngeal cancers. With over 200 peer‑reviewed publications, Dr. Ma has contributed widely to international clinical research consortia and holds leadership roles in global oncology working groups. As Scientific Co‑Chair of ESMO TAT Asia 2025, she helped shape the conference’s strategic direction, ensuring the programme highlighted innovations in early-phase cancer drug development both regionally and globally.

Our team at OncoDaily has handpicked 15 highlights from ESMO TAT Asia 2025. Scroll down to catch the highlights, dive into the science, and hear directly from the people shaping the future of cancer care.

ESMO – Eur. Oncology:

“ESMO TAT Asia25: Exploratory omics and Machine Learning revealed an 11-gene signature associated with response after chemoradiotherapy for Cervical Cancer. MMP2 was identified as a key target.

Read more in the ESMO Daily Reporter.”

Yuji Uehara, MD:

“Honored to receive a merit travel grant and deliver an oral presentation at this exceptionally well-organized meeting. The food has been excellent too!”

Jia (Jenny) Liu MD PhD:

“Novel efficacy endpoints in phase 1 trials of 2025. Insights from Toshio Shimizu ESMO Tat Asia 25

P1 trials have therapeutic intent, novel endpoints and dynamic markers of response/resistance required.”

ESMO – Eur. Oncology:

“ESMO TAT Asia 2025: In an Opinion piece in the ESMO Daily Reporter, Lillian Siu discusses the growth of early oncology Clinical Trials in Asia Pacific but highlights the need for improved trial access in low- and middle-income countries.”

Leslie Gilham:

“Honoured to be presenting in the same session as Prof Tak Mak highlighting the importance of a strong ecosystem in biotech and the importance of immunology. ESMO TAT Asia 2025. Thank you ESMO for including the patient voice in this very important conversation.”

Annie Wong :

“Ok ESMO TAT Asia 25  Hong Kong has set the standard of care for conference lunch! Thanks so much to the organisers!”

Rashid Lui:

“More phase I trials in APAC – insights from the keynote speech at ESMO TAT Asia 2025 by Prof Lillian Siu.”

Annie Wong:

“Great first day ESMO TAT Asia 2025, great cellular therapies panel, on-target off-tumour tox, when to best use it/best combo APODDC
survey highlighting barriers for trials & need for collabs Pankaj Kumar Panda, Herbert Loong, Daniel Tan, Ben Tran.”

Omali Pitiyarachchi:

“Rain, hail or typhoon – D3 ESMO TAT Asia 25 commenced with Prof Elizabeth Smyth giving an overlook on new ADC constructs-payload innovation; bispecific ADCs; smaller format delivery systems to incr therap window & reduce tox ESMO.”

Sreedhar Jayakrishnan:

“The challenges to true globalization of clinical trials. Keynote address at ESMO TAT Asia 2025 by Lillian Siu. Decentralisation, more of multicentric trials. Collaboration is the need of the hour.”

ESMO – Eur. Oncology:

“ESMO TAT Asia 25: Presentations highlight the value of integrating Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) into Early Phase Trials with guidance on standardisation.

Read more in the ESMO Daily Reporter”

ESMO – Eur. Oncology:

“Anti Drug Conjugates in Lung Cancer. In an Opinion piece in the ESMO Daily Reporter, Tony Mok
reviews data from recent Clinical Trials using HER2-, HER3- on TROP2-targeted ADCs.”

Herbert Loong, MBBS, FASCO:

“Recovering from exhausting but Extremely Fruitful 4 days of conferences & meetings:
ESMO Advanced Course In Early Development and ESMO TAT Asia25 in Hong Kong. 4 talks. 4 chairs. We are thrilled to have been host this inaugural mtg bringing in > 600attendees from across the.”

Connie Lai:

“My pleasure to join the first ESMO TAT Asia 25 in Hong Kong!”

ESMO – Eur. Oncology:

“ESMO Living Guidelines on Metastatic Colorectal Cancer v1.3: Updated recommendations and algorithms for the treatment of patient with BRAF-mut. ”

To stay on top of everything happening at ESMO TAT Asia 2025, keep following OncoDaily.

Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD