A Message from the President
Dear Colleagues,
One of the most important priorities for SITC and for our field is to support and train early career investigators. In 2020, we are offering six SITC Fellowships and a new, unique award, totaling $600,000 in funding.
The six fellowships are possible thanks to the strong financial commitment of our industry partners. We are again able to honor the memory of one of our members, Holbrook Kohrt, MD, PhD, via the Cancer Immunotherapy Translational Memorial Fellowship. This year’s award is the third such fellowship in remembrance of Dr. Kohrt, an assistant professor at Stanford University, known for his commitment to discover and develop novel therapies to enhance anti-tumor immunity. You can read our society’s tribute and view photos from our 2016 dedication ceremony here. For a complete listing of the available 2020 SITC Fellowships, please click here or continue reading this edition of the Immune Monitor. Applications are now open and due by Feb. 28.
SITC will also offer an additional award opportunity, the SITC-NanoString Technologies Spatial Profiling Award. This new research award will be given to a young investigator who will leverage NanoString Technologies’ GeoMx™ Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP) to perform highly multiplexed spatial profiling of RNA and proteins. Click here to learn more and apply to this award (also with a Feb. 28 deadline).
In 2020, SITC will be holding its 35th Anniversary Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (Nov. 10–14 in National Harbor, Md.). As the field and our meeting has grown, so has the need for several more focused meetings throughout the year on key emerging areas of interest and importance. We’ve seen remarkable advances in tumor-targeted immunotherapy technology including CAR-T cells and antibody-drug conjugates and anticipate that identifying additional tumor-specific cell surface targets will further enable development of these types of agents. This year we will hold our first meeting on Interrogating the Tumor-Specific Surfaceome for Immune Targeting Workshop, taking place April 23–24 in San Diego (click here to register now). The tumor-specific surfaceome workshop will provide opportunities for investigators to present their research and will allow attendees to share their work with fellow experts in the field. Those whose abstracts are not selected for oral presentation will have the opportunity to present their work as a poster. Abstracts for this workshop are due by Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. PST. Click here to submit your abstract. Encore presentations are welcome!
Beyond the science, SITC will be expanding its efforts to promote professional development for its members. Following last year’s successful inaugural event, the society’s Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network (WIN) Leadership Institute returns this summer, and will grow to two programs, one in Seattle (July 13–14) and one in Chicago (Aug. 3–4). Women interested in applying to attend either program are invited to submit an application by March 9 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Finally, I would like to offer well-deserved congratulations to the SITC members, led by SITC Past President Howard L. Kaufman, MD, FACS, for their recent manuscript, Defining Current Gaps in Quality Measures for Cancer Immunotherapy: Consensus Report from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 2019 Quality Summit, as published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC). The article addresses optimal application of cancer immunotherapy for patient benefit, and serves as SITC’s initial formal effort to further define and standardize quality delivery of cancer immunotherapy. I look forward to our society’s continued work in this important area.
Sincerely,
Mario Sznol, MD
SITC President
Join SITC or Renew Your Membership in 2020
Become a SITC member or renew your membership to grow your professional network, receive discounted registration rates to exemplary meetings, early access to housing and remain current with the field of cancer immunotherapy.
Join the SITC family or renew your membership today!
2020 SITC Fellowship and Award Opportunities
Young investigators can now apply for any of the following six SITC Fellowships and a separate 2020 SITC award opportunity.
2020 SITC Fellowship Awards
- SITC-Bristol-Myers Squibb Postdoctoral Cancer Immunotherapy Translational Fellowship
- SITC-AstraZeneca Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer Clinical Fellowship
- SITC-Merck Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Fellowship
- SITC-AstraZeneca Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer Clinical Fellowship
- SITC-Genentech Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Fellowship
- SITC’s Holbrook Kohrt, MD, PhD, Cancer Immunotherapy Translational Memorial Fellowship (sponsored by Genentech)
SITC-NanoString Technologies Spatial Profiling Award
- This is a new research award for spatial profiling, sponsored by NanoString Technologies. Applicants will be encouraged to submit their proposals for a cancer immunotherapy project that will leverage NanoString Technologies’ GeoMx™ Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP) to perform highly multiplexed spatial profiling of RNA and proteins. The most impactful proposal for cancer immunotherapy research will be selected.
- Click here for more information on the GeoMx™ Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP)
Submissions for these funding and award opportunities are due by Feb. 28, 2020. For eligibility information and to apply, please click here.
Attend the Interrogating the Tumor-Specific Surfaceome for Immune Targeting Workshop
April 23–24 • San Diego • View Schedule • Register Now • Registration Rates • Submit an Abstract
Workshop Organizers:
- Samir M. Hanash, MD, PhD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Avery D. Posey Jr., PhD – University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
SITC invites you to attend the workshop, Interrogating the Tumor-Specific Surfaceome for Immune Targeting. Scheduled for April 23–24, 2020, at the Hotel Republic in San Diego, this SITC workshop will focus on the tumor cell surfaceome and the many opportunities that accompany it for the development of future immunotherapies and maximization of existing techniques. By bringing together experts on the topic from a variety of fields including medical oncology, bioinformatics, cancer biology, genetics/epigenetics, immunology, and many others, the workshop will facilitate increased discussion in this important area. Click here to learn more about this workshop.
Submit Your Abstract
This workshop will also provide an intimate opportunity for attendees to discuss their work with experts in the field, develop collaborations and learn about novel studies of the tumor cell surfaceome. Individuals are encouraged to submit an abstract for an opportunity to present their research; a select number of oral abstract presentation slots will be available. Those abstracts not selected for oral presentation will also have the opportunity to present as a poster. Encore presentations are welcome!
Abstracts are due by Friday, Feb. 28, at 5 p.m. PST. Please click here to submit your abstract.
SITC Seeking Applicants for 2020 Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network Leadership Institute Programs
Following a very successful inaugural year, the Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network (WIN) Leadership Institute returns with two locations this summer, July 13–14, in Seattle, and Aug. 3–4, in Chicago. The programs, free to accepted applicants, are one-and-a-half day education and networking events that seek to empower emerging female leaders in the cancer immunotherapy field.
The WIN Leadership Institutes will explore topics relevant to women, including:
- Learning to break through the glass ceiling
- Exploring negotiation techniques
- Mastering the art of saying no
- Receiving guidance to help survive in a political world
- Learning leadership skills, including conflict resolution strategies and public speaking
Please click here to learn more and apply for the opportunity to participate in these programs.
SITC 2019 Quality Summit Consensus Report
Published on Jan. 16, 2020, in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), Defining Current Gaps in Quality Measures for Cancer Immunotherapy: Consensus Report from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 2019 Quality Summit serves as the society’s initial formalized effort to identify, develop and implement quality measures dedicated to improving and standardizing immunotherapeutic-based cancer care. Click here to learn more about this important SITC effort.