Pre-Conference Programs • Nov. 6 – 7, 2019

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019

World Immunotherapy Council’s 3rd Young Investigator Symposium

7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer and the World Immunotherapy Council  (WIC) are dedicated to advancing cancer immunotherapy and, likewise, the future leaders of the field. This program will provide the opportunity for young scientists and future leaders from throughout the world to interact, fulfilling the World Immunotherapy Council’s mission to facilitate rapid development and global dissemination of cancer immunotherapies through scientific exchange.

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Novel Multi-Targeted Therapeutic Platforms

2 – 6:30 p.m.

With the approval of the first bispecific T-cell engager in 2018, and with many more such multi-targeted antibodies in clinical trials, there has been a resurgence of interest in these multi-functional platforms. Other related platforms, such as cytokine fusions and CAR T cell approaches, are also making their mark on the cancer treatment landscape. As these agents make their way into the clinic, however, many important scientific and clinical questions have been raised. During this half-day program, multi-targeted therapeutic platforms will be discussed by experts in the field, along with the opportunity for investigators to submit their own related work for consideration at this unique symposium.

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Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019

Primer on Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy™

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The understanding of cancer immunobiology has increased dramatically in recent years, leading to the successful development of novel immune-based treatment options to improve cancer patient outcomes. The SITC Primer on Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy™ is designed to provide a foundation for understanding core immunology principles as they relate to basic and clinical research in immunotherapy of cancer.

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Workshop on Intratumoral Immunomodulation

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Immunotherapy treatments inherently rely on the presence of immune cells, both systemic and localized to the tumor microenvironment. Immunologically “hot” tumors, such as melanoma, have demonstrated enhanced responses to immunotherapy treatments; however, many tumors are “cold”, lacking the necessary immune components for a successful treatment. Many techniques, including radiotherapy, synthetic immunomodulators, oncolytic viruses, and certain systemic treatments, have been shown to manipulate the immune status of the treated tumor microenvironment, and even those tumor sites elsewhere in the body (abscopal effects). Such manipulations can increase the presence of desirable immune infiltrates and potentially lead to favorable treatment outcomes. In this workshop, the current status of intratumoral immunomodulation will be presented and future directions for the field will be discussed, along with their implications for current and forthcoming immunotherapy treatments.

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Grant Writing Workshop: The study section black box: A look inside the grant review process

6 – 8 p.m.

This two-hour program features two sessions. The first session will open with an overview of the grant submission process, briefly outlining funding opportunities and how to navigate those. Session one will also address critical points of government and private sector grant submissions. The second session will consist of a “mini-study section,” allowing attendees to experience how a study section evaluates a grant proposal, which will help attendees identify points that determine the success or failure of a grant proposal and help them optimize the process of grant re-submission.

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