A Message from the President
As cancer immunotherapy continues to transform patient care, the next era of innovation will depend on our collective ability to develop the therapies that will define the future of the field. At SITC, we are committed to accelerating immunotherapy drug development by creating opportunities for collaboration, advancing scientific exchange and bringing together the diverse stakeholders needed to move promising discoveries from the laboratory to patients.
This commitment is reflected in our #SITCQuestfor100 initiative, which challenges the field to achieve 100 novel immunotherapy agents by 2034. Achieving this goal will require strong partnerships across academia, biotechnology, industry, investors and regulators. Through initiatives such as last month's Biotech Strategic Meeting at the NYSE, the upcoming SITC EU Immuno-Oncology Drug Development Summit and two Annual Meeting Pre-Conference Programs — “New Agents in Development and Emerging Technologies” and “Launching Biotech Startups: Funding, Pitching, Partnerships” — SITC is creating opportunities for the conversations and collaborations that will shape tomorrow's cancer immunotherapies.
That collaborative spirit is reflected in the outstanding science submitted to this year's Annual Meeting. We received an exceptional number of abstracts spanning the breadth of cancer immunotherapy research. The top submission categories were Cellular Therapies; Biomarkers, Immune Monitoring and Novel Technologies; and Immune Cell Types and Biology. The scientific program will continue to grow as Late-Breaking Abstracts – Clinical Only (LBA) submissions remain open through Sept. 10.
As part of a new collaboration between SITC and the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), the SITC 2026 Annual Meeting will feature the inaugural CRI William B. Coley Award Lecture, recognizing distinguished contributions to the field of cancer immunotherapy. We are honored to welcome this year's recipient, Éric Vivier, DVM, PhD, whose pioneering work exemplifies the scientific excellence and innovation that continue to propel the field forward. Dr. Vivier will present "Harnessing NK Cells in Cancer Therapies," sharing insights from his groundbreaking research and its impact on the future of cancer immunotherapy.
From fostering strategic collaborations and supporting innovative drug development to showcasing groundbreaking science and honoring leaders who have transformed the field, SITC remains committed to advancing cancer immunotherapy at every stage of discovery. I encourage you to join us at the SITC 2026 Annual Meeting to be part of the conversations, partnerships and scientific exchange that will help shape the future of immuno-oncology. Be sure to register by Aug. 24 to take advantage of early bird pricing, and I look forward to seeing you in Phoenix this November.
NCI Immunotherapy Fellowship
Conducted at the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research in Bethesda, MD, this one-year program allows the fellow to have exposure to multiple clinical immunotherapeutic approaches and to key opinion leaders in the field of clinical immunotherapy. This fellowship provides opportunities to understand how to design, write and run clinical trials, how to treat patients with novel immunotherapeutic agents, and how to grade and manage treatment toxicities.