On Tap at SITC 2017 - Nov. 10

On Tap Today

The wait is over! The 32nd Annual Meeting (SITC 2017) kicks off this morning. On-site registration and badge pickup opens at 7 a.m. for those who are joining us for the first time this week, with a breakfast also available before sessions begin at 8 a.m.

SITC 2017 is the first Annual Meeting for Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD, as President of the society. Dr. Butterfield had served as Vice President of SITC the past two years before becoming the first female President of SITC in its history following last year's Annual Meeting.

President's Message - October 2017

Dear Colleagues,

I invite you to join the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) for our most anticipated event of the year, the 32^nd Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs from Nov. 8-12 in National Harbor, Md. As the largest conference dedicated to the field of cancer immunotherapy, the society has assembled an incredible roster of experts, offering researchers, clinicians, industry professionals and patient advocates the opportunity to hear the latest scientific findings in the most exciting area of cancer research and treatment.

Pre-Conference Programs: Nov. 8-9

The Pre-Conference Programs provide opportunities for attendees of all experience levels to learn the basics of cancer immunotherapy, explore updates on biomarkers and single cell techniques as they relate to our field, develop grant writing skills, and network. SITC will offer the following programs as a precursor to our Annual Meeting:

• Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers: Today’s Imperatives for Tomorrow’s Needs
• 2^nd World Immunotherapy Council Young Investigator Symposium
• Primer on Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy™
• Workshop on Single Cell Techniques in Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy
• Grant Writing Workshop

32^nd Annual Meeting: Nov. 10-12

Featuring three days of cutting-edge presentations attendees have come to expect from the society, the SITC 2017 Annual Meeting provides a multidisciplinary interactive environment focused on basic and translational cancer immunotherapy. Programming will be kicked off with highly anticipated keynote speeches. On Nov. 10, Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD will speak on “The CAR T Revolution in Leukemia.” The following day, Paul Sondel, MD, PhD, and the 2017 Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Award and Lectureship recipient, will deliver his speech on "Activation of Innate and Adaptive Immunity as an In Situ Cancer Vaccine.”

Also, do not miss this year’s Hot Topic Symposium, which closes out proceedings on Nov. 12. The Symposium, Advancing the Field: Can Physics and Mathematics Impact the Development of Tumor Immunotherapy?, will bring together leading authorities in tumor immunology, physics and mathematics to offer an overview of the top priorities in tumor immunotherapy and the latest advances in physical science that might impact further biologic understanding and therapeutic approaches for the field.

Social and Networking Activities

Be sure to attend the social and networking activities provided by SITC. These include activities for early career scientists, such as the Meet-the-Expert Lunch on Nov. 9 and evening networking event on Nov. 10. The poster receptions will take place in Prince George’s Exhibition Hall DE from 6:30 – 8 p.m. on Nov. 10-11. Also, plan to attend the State of SITC: Membership Business Meeting on Nov. 10, and the SITC 2017 Award Ceremony with receptions after presentations. And last, but certainly not least, don’t miss The CheckPoints, SITC’s very own house band the evening of Nov. 11.

I look forward to seeing many of you in National Harbor. For those unable to attend the conference, meeting updates, videos and slide decks will be posted on SITC Cancer Immunotherapy connectED, and meeting summaries will be published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

Best Wishes,

Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD

SITC President

President's Message - September 2017

Dear Colleagues,

On Aug. 30, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tisagenlecleucel, a chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy directed against CD19, for certain pediatric and young adult patients with a form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As the first gene therapy to receive FDA approval, this is a major breakthrough and represents the culmination of years of work from researchers and clinicians in the field of cancer immunotherapy.

Through educational opportunities and the promotion of collaboration among clinicians and scientists from around the world, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) serves as a driving force behind recent progress in cellular therapies. For example, abstract presentations and informational sessions highlighting the latest research on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, gene transfer technology and adoptive cellular therapies have been a mainstay in our meetings for years.

Key leaders in the field – including Carl June, MD; Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD; and Michel Sadelain, MD – have used the platform of the SITC Annual Meeting to present their research. Dedicated sessions have covered topics addressing issues spanning basic science and clinical aspects of immune cell-based therapy, including: the engineering of signaling constructs and of vectors to increase the efficiency of gene transfer; the identification of target cells; optimization of culture growth factors, ways to detect the presence of cells and their longevity in vivo; as well as regulatory aspects of utilizing cellular therapies in the clinic.

Building on the excitement of the recent FDA approval, Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD will deliver a highly anticipated keynote address on the CAR T revolution in leukemia at the SITC 2017 Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Md. In addition, the final day of the program will feature a session on “Genetically Modified Cell Therapy” co-chaired by Carl H. June, MD; Marcela V. Maus, MD, PhD; and Helen E. Heslop, MD.

There is still so much more to come for our field. We look forward to seeing you all at SITC 2017 to learn about the next exciting breakthroughs in the field of cancer immunology and immunotherapy.

Best Wishes,

Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD

SITC President