In three short weeks, SITC will host our first-ever IO Drug Development Summit in Boston. I’ve shared details on this new program in past Immune Monitors. Today, I’m eager to share thoughts from two of the organizers and longtime leaders in our field: Alexandra Snyder, MD of Generate Biomedicines and Jon M. Wiggington, MD of Bright Peak Therapeutics. Dr. Snyder, Dr. Wigginton and their fellow organizers were instrumental in planning the Summit. Dr. Snyder and Dr. Wigginton shared their perspective on why this summit is needed now more than ever.
Dr. Wigginton, who was President of SITC when SITC first held a drug development program in 2008, reflected that since then “30 drugs have achieved FDA approval in the past 10 years, leading to a transformation in the care of patients with over 25 cancers. These efforts have identified many unique considerations in the development of IO drugs, and the care of patients being treated with cancer immunotherapy, considerations that may differ significantly from historical experience in the development of small molecule cancer therapeutics.”
“The IO Drug Development Summit arose from a recognition by SITC of the need to bring experienced stakeholders in the field together to reflect on and share key lessons learned, and to actively discuss emerging opportunities and obstacles that must be considered in sustaining and expanding the pace of progress for the treatment of patients with cancer immunotherapy,” continued Dr. Wiggington.
“SITC has consistently led the field in bringing together diverse stakeholders to discuss and advance key matters,” Dr. Snyder elaborated. “Right now, the field is in a period of change, and due to this change, we think it is critical to take stock of where we are, lessons learned, and where we are going as an IO community."
Additionally, Dr. Snyder shared enthusiasm over the Summit agenda. “As I look at the agenda, I'm excited about every single talk, ranging from mouse and multicellular models to regulatory guidance, trial design considerations, and applications of AI. I'm delighted at the diversity of speakers who are leaders in their fields and the intimate format will encourage conversations of substance throughout.”
“We hope that the program serves to further catalyze communication and accelerate progress in the field,” Dr. Wigginton elaborated. “I am really looking forward to the terrific series of state-of-the-art presentations during the program (including the Keynote Lecture from Dr. Ignacio Melero), as well as the output of active panel discussions that will include key leaders across the community discussing and debating themes including FDA initiatives, investor perspectives, clinical trial design and endpoints, and considerations in the development of CART cell therapy and immune-cell engagers. The fireside chat with Drs. Jedd Wolchok and Priti Hegde will provide unique perspectives from academia and industry, respectively, regarding the future trajectory of IO."
At the conclusion of the Summit, Dr. Snyder will consider the Summit a success "…if it helps participants gain consensus or understanding of where we are as a field, stimulates new collaborations, and rallies participants around approaches to advance us forward. Due to the diversity of stakeholders in attendance, bringing us together should provide an understanding of each other's perspectives and help advance SITC’s strategic goal of 100 new IO approvals in ten years (#SITCquestfor100)."
I encourage you to explore the full details and program agenda here. You’ll see a host of sessions from Preclinical Models, Investor Perspectives and Artificial Intelligence. Plus, there’s a session, “FDA Initiatives,” where FDA representatives will give updates on key projects, accelerated approval in clinical trials as well as a panel discussion. I hope you will join your colleagues from across the IO drug development ecosystem to move the field forward in our continued efforts to provide more therapeutics for cancer patients around the world.