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