A Message from the President
Dear Colleagues,
I wish you all a happy spring. While I certainly do not hope for the next seven months to speed by, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s 34th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2019), to be held Nov. 6–10, will no doubt be here before we know it. Registration is already open for SITC members (and opens for all on April 9). This is our society’s cornerstone conference, and this year we return to the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. I am already excited to see and welcome back existing members and to meet the new members of our Society.
Last year, 5,000 professionals in the cancer immunotherapy field attended our Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs, a 36 percent increase over 2017. Similarly, we received nearly 800 abstract submissions, a 34 percent increase year-over-year. For me personally and I’m sure for all of us involved in the Society, it has been astounding to witness the growth of our annual gathering of basic scientists, translational researchers, clinicians, industry and governmental representatives and others in recent years.
This year, the Annual Meeting will feature several new oral abstract presentation opportunities. Increasing the number of oral presentations has been a key goal of our Board for several years, affording researchers, and in particular younger investigators, additional time to share the findings of their work and connect to others in the field. First is a Poster Symposium on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., which will comprise several short abstract presentations and expert discussants. Secondly, the number of rapid oral abstract sessions has doubled; two sessions will be held on Friday and two on Saturday. Half of these rapid oral abstract sessions will feature clinical advances in the field. Finally, three designated clinical trial sessions will ensure the conference captures the important clinical trial work being done in the field:
- High Impact Clinical Trials: Friday, Nov. 8, 4:50-6:15 p.m.
- Single Agent Phase 1 Clinical Trials: Saturday, Nov. 9, 3:45-5 p.m.
- Combination Phase 1-2 Clinical Trials: Saturday, Nov. 9, 5:15-6:30 p.m.
More than 16 months of planning and preparations go into each Annual Meeting. Dedicated committee members, lead by Annual Program Committee Chair Sandra Demaria, MD (Weill Cornell Medicine), and assisted by the Board of Directors and faculty, work tirelessly to ensure program schedules contain impactful data and meaningful panel discussions. It’s this devotion and enthusiasm that brings the highest quality data to the SITC’s Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs. For immune therapy of cancer, I believe it is the most influential conference in the field.
Please join me in congratulating our recently announced 2019 Richard V. Smalley, MD, Memorial Award and Lectureship recipient Olivera (Olja) J. Finn, PhD, of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Finn will deliver her highly anticipated keynote address during the Annual Meeting, on Friday, Nov. 8. I’m also very pleased to announce that Ronald N. Germain, MD, PhD, of the National Institutes of Health, will deliver Saturday’s keynote address.
Please remember that SITC members receive discounted SITC 2019 registration rates and early access to housing. There are so many reasons to become a SITC member, and the savings for attending just part of SITC 2019 will more than cover the cost of a membership. So don’t wait, join SITC today to save on your SITC 2019 attendance.
Although our Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs is our most highly attended program, we offer a variety of other opportunities for education and scientific exchange throughout the year, including interim workshops. Two exciting and timely 2019 workshops – dedicated to cancer immune responsiveness and adoptive cellular therapies – are scheduled for Sept. 4–6, 2019, in Houston, Texas, and registration is now open. Participants who attend both back-to-back workshops will receive a 30 percent discount on registration.
Sincerely,
Mario Sznol, MD
SITC President
34th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2019)
SITC 2019 returns to the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 6–10, 2019. SITC members can register now to attend SITC 2019!
If you aren’t a SITC member, join the society today and secure your early registration and housing for the leading destination for scientific exchange, education and networking in the cancer immunotherapy field. The discount more than covers the cost of membership for most SITC members who attend the Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs.
Continue reading below to learn more about SITC 2019 and be sure to check out our dedicated microsite at sitcancer.org/2019.
34th Annual Meeting
Nov. 7–10, 2019
The 34th Annual Meeting provides a multidisciplinary educational and interactive environment focused on improving outcomes for current and future patients with cancer by incorporating strategies based on basic and applied cancer immunotherapy.
The Annual Meeting consists of cutting-edge research presentations by experts in the field, both oral and poster abstract presentations, and ample opportunity for structured and informal discussions, including important networking opportunities. In addition, the meeting includes updates on major national and international initiatives coming from academia, government and industry, as well as important society projects.
34th Annual Meeting Organizers
- Ana Carrizosa Anderson, PhD – Harvard Medical School
- Marianne Davies, DNP, AOCNP – Yale School of Nursing
- Stefani Spranger, PhD – Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT
- Ahmad A. Tarhini, MD, PhD – Emory University and Winship Comprehensive Cancer Center
Annual Program Committee
- Chair: Sandra Demaria, MD – Weill Cornell Medicine
- Davide Bedognetti, MD, PhD – Sidra Medical
- Patrick Hwu, MD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Krista Rubin, MS, FNP-BC – Massachusetts General Hospital
- Dario A.A. Vignali, PhD – University of Pittsburgh
Call for Abstracts
Submissions for regular abstracts, Young Investigator Award abstracts and late-breaking abstract (LBA) applications will open on April 9, 2019.
Submit your latest cancer immunotherapy research to the 34th Annual Meeting for consideration as an oral abstract presentation, rapid oral abstract presentation, and/or poster abstract presentation by Aug. 1, 2019 at 5 p.m. PDT. Researchers who submit an LBA application by the deadline will have their applications reviewed and be notified if they qualify to submit an LBA during the submission period, which takes place Aug. 23–Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. PDT.
Click here to learn more about submitting an abstract to SITC 2019.
Exhibiting at the 34th Annual Meeting
Make your mark by exhibiting at the SITC 34th Annual Meeting. This event brings together international leaders from academia, regulatory and government agencies, as well as industry representatives for unmatched education, scientific exchange and networking with the scientists driving the field.
Click here to learn more about exhibiting options at SITC 2019.
Pre-Conference Programs
Spread across the first two days of SITC 2019 on Nov. 6–7, the Pre-Conference Programs feature an array of sessions dedicated to scientific exchange, education and networking no matter your professional experience in the field.
World Immunotherapy Council’s 3rd Young Investigator Symposium
Nov. 6, 2019
8 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.
WIC Organizers
- Samir Khleif, MD – Georgetown University
- Jose A. Lopez-Martin, MD, PhD – 12 de Octubre University Hospital & Research Institute
- Brad Nelson, PhD – BC Cancer – Deeley Research Centre
- Graham Pawelec, PhD – University of Tuebingen
- Barbara Seliger, MD, PhD – Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
- Joe Yeong, PhD – Singapore General Hospital
Industry Program
Nov. 6, 2019
2–6:30 p.m.
The SITC Industry Program provides a forum for industry representatives to discuss ongoing research programs to advance the field of cancer immunotherapy. Design, topic selection, and organization of each SITC Industry Program are led by members of the SITC Industry Committee and has not yet been announced for SITC 2019.
The SITC Industry Program also features a presentation application process that provides industry and academic investigators who are working on research related to the program topic the opportunity to present their work during the program.
Industry Program Organizers
- Alessandra Cesano, MD, PhD – NanoString, Inc.
- Edward Cha, MD, PhD – Genentech
- Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD – Eli Lilly
- Salil Patel, PhD – Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Eric Rubin, MD – Merck & Co., Inc.
Workshop on Intratumoral Immunomodulation
Nov. 7, 2019
8 a.m.–5 p.m.
More details about the SITC 2019 Workshop on Intratumoral Immunomodulation will be made available soon.
Workshop Organizers
- Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD – The Tisch Cancer Institute at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Adi Diab, MD – University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Primer on Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy™
Nov. 7, 2019
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.
Primer Organizers
- Michael Curran, PhD – University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Jonathan Powell, MD, PhD – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Grant Writing Workshop: The study section black box: A look inside the grant review process
Nov. 7, 2019
6–8 p.m.
This two-hour program features two distinct parts. The first session will open with an overview of the grant submission process, briefly outlining funding opportunities and how to navigate those. This first portion of the program will also address critical points of government and private sector grant submissions. The second portion of the program 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.
Grant Writing Workshop Organizers
- Ana Carrizosa Anderson, PhD – Harvard Medical School
- Lorenzo Falchi, MD – Columbia University Medical Center
- Saman Maleki, PhD – Western University
- Claire Vanpouille-Box, PhD – Weill Cornell Medical College
SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School Enduring Materials
Presentation materials from the SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School, which took place on Feb. 18–22, 2019, in Mesa, Ariz., are now available to attendees and will become open access to SITC members on April 15. Tailored to early career scientists and clinicians in the field, the program covered the fundamentals of cancer immunotherapy and allowed participants to tailor their experience by selecting the track most relevant to their educational goals.
The materials are available via the respective track schedules:
The general public can purchase access to the enduring materials now by visiting the links above. The presentations will become open access to all on June 15.
