SITC Immunoprevention Virtual Summit

#SITCresearchsolutions

The SITC Immunoprevention Virtual Summit was held on April 3, 2023 and highlighted the opportunities and limitations in cancer interception and immunoprevention and served as a platform to advocate for the widespread need for preventative methods and research. This open-door virtual educational event presented the state of the field and included participation of the stakeholders involved in this research including funding agencies, academic researchers, the FDA, and industry.

Summit Overview

Program Summary

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) held the Immunoprevention Virtual Summit on Monday, April 3, from 12–5 p.m. EDT. The summit was a free, public event that featured expert panel discussions, invited speakers, and attendee question and answer periods. The multi-stakeholder virtual summit featured over 25 panelists representing funding agencies, academic researchers, the FDA, and industry.

Open access to the summit recording can be found here.

The SITC Immunoprevention Virtual Summit highlighted the opportunities and limitations in cancer interception and immunoprevention and served as a platform to advocate for the widespread need for preventative methods and research. Topics addressed at the summit included immune environment of prevention, immune diagnostics and prevention, current progress in immunoprevention by cancer type, resources and funding opportunities, and the roles of the FDA, industry, and advocacy in the field of prevention.

Problem Statement

Immune interception and prevention strategies harness the immune system to prevent invasive cancer at a stage when anti-tumor immunity is most effective. Despite its great potential to positively impact public health, there is a marked lack of education and awareness within the field of immuno-oncology on immunoprevention, and the field of cancer interception and prevention remains largely nascent. The scientific community must effectively address and develop the field of immunoprevention, improving patient outcomes and reducing the global burden of cancer.

Summit Goals & Objectives

The primary objective of the SITC Immunoprevention Virtual Summit is to highlight opportunities and challenges in the field of immunoprevention. Secondary goals include defining immunoprevention, with an emphasis on primary prevention; developing a roadmap to move forward in the field of immunoprevention; and establishing SITC as a home for researchers and healthcare providers interested in immunoprevention.

Program Agenda

12:00-12:05 p.m. EDT	Welcome and Introduction to Immunoprevention Virtual Summit Leisha Emens, MD, PhD – Ankyra Therapeutics, SITC President Philip Castle, PhD, MPH – National Cancer Institute
12:05-12:20 p.m. EDT	Immunoprevention: Opportunities and Challenges Olivera Finn, PhD, FAIO – University of Pittsburgh
12:20-12:35 p.m. EDT	HPV Vaccines: A Model for Immunoprevention Douglas Lowy, MD – National Cancer Institute
12:35-12:50 p.m. EDT	Immune Interception of Pre-Malignancy Bernard Fox, PhD – Providence Cancer Institute, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute
12:50-1:05 p.m.. EDT	Immune Targets for Interception and Prevention Avrum Spira, MD, MSC – Johnson & Johnson, Boston University
1:05-1:20 p.m. EDT	Panel Discussion and Q&A Moderator: Sasha Stanton, MD, PhD – Providence Cancer Institute, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute Olivera Finn, PhD, FAIO – University of Pittsburgh Bernard Fox, PhD – Providence Cancer Institute, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute Douglas Lowy, MD – National Cancer Institute Avrum Spira, MD, MSC – Johnson & Johnson, Boston University
1:20-1:30 p.m. EDT	Break
1:30-2:10 p.m. EDT	Panel 1: Immune Microenvironment of Pre-Malignancy Moderator: Jerome Galon, PhD – INSERM, Sorbonne University Paris Steve Dubinett, MD – David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Nicolas Jacquelot, PhD – Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
2:10-2:50 p.m. EDT	Panel 2: Immune Interception Strategies Moderator: Bernard Fox, PhD – Providence Cancer Institute, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute Irene Ghobrial, MD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Glenn Hanna, MD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Steven Lipkin, MD, PhD – Weill Cornell Medicine Neeha Zaidi, MD – Johns Hopkins Hospital
2:50-3:00 p.m. EDT	Break
3:00- 3:40 p.m. EDT	Panel 3: Primary Immunoprevention Strategies Moderator: Powel Brown, MD, PhD – MD Anderson Cancer Center Susan Domchek, MD – University of Pennsylvania Sasha Stanton, MD, PhD – Providence Cancer Institute, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, MD, PhD – MD Anderson Cancer Center Baochun Zhang, MD, PhD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
3:40-4:20 p.m. EDT	Panel 4: Clinical Trials: Patient Selection, Design, and Endpoints Moderator: Eva Szabo, MD – National Cancer Institute Mark Cobbold, MRCP, PhD – AstraZeneca Powel Brown, MD, PhD – MD Anderson Cancer Center Kevin Dodd, PhD – National Cancer Institute Steve Dubinett, MD – David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Virginia Mason, RN, BSN – Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation Jeffrey Roberts, MD – Merck Research Laboratories Sasha Stanton, MD, PhD – Providence Cancer Institute, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute
4:20-5:05 p.m. EDT	Panel 5: New and Existing NCI Resources for Immunoprevention Research Moderator: Shizuko Sei, MD – National Cancer Institute Altaf Mohammed, PhD – National Cancer Institute Mark Miller, PhD – National Cancer Institute
5:05-5:15 p.m. EDT	Conclusions Leisha Emens, MD, PhD – Ankyra Therapeutics, SITC President Philip Castle, PhD, MPH – National Cancer Institute

Summit Organizers

Leisha Emens, MD, PhD – Co-Chair
Ankyra Therapeutics
Sasha Stanton, MD, PhD – Co-Chair
Providence Cancer Institute / Earle A. Chiles Cancer Research Institute
Philip Castle, PhD, MPH
National Cancer Institute
Mark Cobbold, PhD
AstraZeneca
Olivera Finn, PhD, FAIO
University of Pittsburgh
Elizabeth Jaffee, MD, FAIO
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University
Shizuko Sei, MD
National Cancer Institute

Immunoprevention Virtual Summit