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 Thank you for visiting SITC's Sentinel Blog. We are sunsetting this page. All our content is still available on our website. Please visit our JITC Digest page for the latest updates from SITC's official journal, the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer (JITC).

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - DECEMBER

 

Hello JITC Readers,

Welcome to the last edition of the JITC Digest in 2023. It’s been another wonderfully successful year for the journal, one that saw the publication of more than 400 articles and the engagement of nearly 1,300 unique reviewers. Additionally, 2023 featured the completion of our special series on liquid biopsies while commencing a new collection on computational I-O. I am also extremely proud of the inaugural Peer Review Mentorship Program graduates and their mentors that helped make the experience a resounding success and paved the way for an even larger number of participants in the coming year.

Before we look ahead to 2024, I would like to highlight a few recent articles that come from across the globe and span our original research sections. A multicenter randomized phase II trial by Benedetta Pellegrino et al demonstrates the utility of subcutaneous (SC) trastuzumab as an alternative for patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer. Their findings suggest that this SC approach, which is more patient friendly, may lead to improved stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes compared with intravenous administration.

William C. Temple and colleagues humanized previously generated anti-CD72 nanobodies from which the resulting CD72 CAR-T cells were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo against preclinical models of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Describing preclinical characterization and development of a novel cellular therapy, their work also informs CAR design principles to support a future, first-in-human phase I clinical trial to evaluate humanized CD72 nanoCARs in patients with CD72⁺ B cell malignancies that do not respond to CD19 CAR-T cell therapy.

Check out these selections and more in the Editor Picks below. Most importantly, I wish you all a happy holiday season and best wishes in the new year!

Regards,
James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer Interim Editor-in-Chief

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - NOVEMBER

 

Hello JITC Readers,

Welcome to the latest edition of the JITC Digest. It is hard to believe that SITC’s 2023 Annual Meeting and Pre-Conference Programs were underway two weeks ago. It was wonderful to meet so many of you amidst the beautiful backdrop of sunny San Diego. Whether you attended in person or virtually, I hope you enjoyed the many quality sessions offered throughout the meeting and had a chance to connect with friends and colleagues.

Among those recognized at SITC 2023, I would like to send a heartfelt congratulations to Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, recipient of the 2023 “Pedro J. Romero Service to JITC Award.” I also congratulate the JITC Best Paper Award recipients on their outstanding original research. Learn more about all JITC awardees as well as the 2023 JITC Peer Review Mentorship Program graduates below. We welcome them to the team as our newest reviewers and thank all of you who have served in this crucial role for JITC. If you haven’t applied but are interested in volunteering to serve as a peer reviewer, please send us your application!

The excitement continues as we announce the first two publications in a new series of review articles on “Computational Immuno-Oncology,” edited by Alan Hutson, PhD. Be sure to check back throughout 2023–2024 for new articles. In addition to these reviews, there are numerous original research highlights for the past month of publications, including Eunhee Lee and colleagues demonstrating how an asymmetric anti-CLL-1×CD3 bispecific antibody shows promise for treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia that would likely result in less cytotoxicity than existing therapies. Elsewhere, Abdul Rafeh Naqash et al show how C-reactive protein could serve as a blood-based prognostic marker in patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment.

I thank you all for your continued support of the journal. If we didn’t connect at SITC 2023, I hope to see you next November for SITC 2024 in Houston!

Regards,
James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer Interim Editor-in-Chief

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - OCTOBER

 

Hello JITC Readers,

As I welcome you to the latest edition of the JITC Digest, I am excitedly looking ahead to the 2023 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs, just two weeks away, November 1st–5th, at the Convention Center in beautiful San Diego. 

There will be a number of exciting JITC events throughout the conference. For those of you attending in person, I encourage you to meet JITC’s Interim Deputy Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sjoerd H. van der Burg while he hosts a Meet-the-Editor session at the SITC booth on Saturday, November 4th at 12:15 p.m. PDT. Additionally, join me at the awards ceremony later that day at 6:30 p.m. PDT to congratulate the 2023 JITC Best Paper Award winners as well as our first class of graduates from the JITC Peer Review Mentorship Program. If you can’t make it to San Diego, be sure to follow JITC’s coverage on our LinkedIn and X social media accounts. See the special feature below for full details of all the JITC-related events at SITC 2023. 

While there will be plenty of outstanding science at the upcoming SITC meeting, there is compelling research published each month in JITC. This month’s highlights include a study by Karen Kai-Lin Fang et al on how anti-CD4-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR4) double-negative T cells (DNTs) can effectively target T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and peripheral T-cell lymphoma. These findings support the potential use of allogeneic CAR4-DNTs as a novel treatment strategy for T-cell malignancies. Wenwen Zhang et al present a single-arm, phase II study that demonstrates the promising efficacy and safety of lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies as conversion therapy in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Check out these and other intriguing science stories below. 

I hope to see you all in San Diego! 

Regards,
James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer Interim Editor-in-Chief

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - SEPTEMBER

 

Hello JITC Readers,

Welcome to this month’s edition of the JITC Digest. As we move through September, for many it marks the beginning of the academic year. It also means the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs are just around the corner. Opportunities to interact with JITC will be taking place throughout the event, including a Meet-the-Editor session on Saturday, November 4th from 12:15 p.m. PT to 1:15 p.m. PT at the SITC booth and the recognition of JITC award recipients. Check back next month for the expanded details on JITC activities. I hope to see you in San Diego!

I am also proud to share the final publications that complete our special series on liquid biopsies. The review “Cell-free DNA approaches for cancer early detection and interception” by Jamie E. Medina et al recently published along with its corresponding viewpoint letter from Christian Rolfo and Alessandro Russo. Be sure to read their work and the full slate of articles in this special collection that offers insights on the biology, technologies, and clinical applications of liquid biopsies as they are increasingly utilized in cancer immunotherapy. Thank you to our fantastic Guest Editors, Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou and Dr. Mark Stewart, for their innovative approach and enthusiastic dedication in leading the development of this series. They are the backbone to this informative, engaging series. 

There also continues to be plenty of exciting original research in JITC. Elizabeth Lee Carpenter et al present the results of a clinical trial that demonstrate the safety and efficacy of autologous tumor melanoma vaccines used in the adjuvant setting in resected stage III/IV melanoma patients and may improve disease-free and overall survival. Jared Ostmeyer and colleagues show how a novel metric called the T-cell tolerant fraction may serve as a predictor of clinically significant immune-related adverse events. Don’t miss these highlights and more in the latest Digest.

Regards,
James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer Interim Editor-in-Chief

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - AUGUST

 

Hello JITC Readers,

Welcome to the latest edition of the JITC Digest. It’s August, which means that our Peer Review Mentorship Program is now collecting applications from early career professionals to participate as mentees in the upcoming new class. The first year of the program, currently underway, has been a smashing success, and we’re excited to expand the number of opportunities to help train the next generation of researchers that will keep the field moving forward. You can learn more about the program and how to apply below in the special feature. 

For those of you more established in your career, there is less than one month remaining to apply to be the next JITC Editor-in-Chief. If you are an active, well-known and well-regarded scientist, academic, or clinician, I encourage you to consider applying for this inspiring and rewarding position. 

As the journal collects applications for these important roles, we also take a look at some of the science being applied across the research spectrum. Kanako Shimuzu and colleagues demonstrate how a therapeutic cancer vaccine combined with CD122-biased IL-2Cx may serve as a promising strategy for patients with advanced cancers. Feifei Wei et al developed a highly accurate, reproducible machine learning-based platform that predicts the immune checkpoint inhibitor response of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Check out these featured articles and more in this month’s Digest

Regards,

James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer Interim Editor-in-Chief

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - JULY

 

Dear JITC Readers,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the latest JITC Digest. If you haven’t heard yet, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is now accepting applications in search of the next JITC Editor-in-Chief. I can honestly tell you from firsthand experience that it is an honor and a joy to lead such an exceptional journal. Though I will be relinquishing my duties with the journal at the end of 2024 as I step into my role as SITC President in 2025, I look forward to working closely with the incoming Editor-in-Chief throughout next year as we manage the formal transfer of leadership. See the special feature below to find out more about the roles and responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief and how to apply.

I would also like to call your attention to “Battling Breast Cancer with High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound”, a special episode of the Excited by the Science podcast that features JITC Associate Editor Dr. Ravi Patel. The conversation with Dr. Patel centers on research published in JITC that shows encouraging developments in reducing late recurrence or metastasis in breast cancer. Check out their enlightening discussion and the original JITC article below.

As for the latest research, this month’s highlights include a study from Solvay and colleagues that proposes a molecular explanation for the combined roles of tryptophan deprivation and kynurenine production in mediating IDO1/TDO-induced immune suppression, while McGray et al demonstrate the therapeutic potential of T cells that secrete folate receptor alpha-directed bispecific T-cell engagers in ovarian cancer.

Regards,

James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer Interim Editor-in-Chief