A Message from the President
Dear Colleagues,
I am excited and honored to address you in my first monthly message as President of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). I have enjoyed the past two years as SITC’s Vice President, supporting Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD, SITC’s first female president, during her tenure as leader of our society. Thank you, Dr. Butterfield, for setting a foundation for the increased inclusion, development, and celebration of women in cancer immunotherapy. The society appreciates your continued leadership and commitment to the field and our organization!
As I assume this role on the heels of another successful year for SITC – which includes reaching new marks within our membership and a record-breaking 5,000 attendees at our Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs – I am looking forward to helping continue our society’s tremendous growth. During my tenure as President, I will work to sustain SITC’s commitment as the leading member association in cancer immunotherapy. I will also ensure SITC remains the host to the most important meeting in the field, as we provide a platform for the presentation of phase 1 clinical trial data that provide insight into the future of immuno-oncology.
SITC has many exciting programs and initiatives slated for the next 12 months, all of which seek to improve cancer patient outcomes by advancing the science, development and application of cancer immunotherapy. A more complete listing of these initiatives is provided below, and I would like to highlight a few occurring in the near future.
It is critical for SITC to continue its emphasis in growing the next generation of leaders in cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. This is an area I am keenly focused on and support heavily. To that end, SITC is pleased to continue to offer SITC Fellowship Awards in 2019. Made possible through generous support from our industry partners, SITC Fellowships honor some of the brightest young minds in the field. The development and celebration of young investigators in our field is an important strategic priority of the society and one of my foci as President.
Additionally, registrations are open for SITC’s first Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School. Scheduled for Feb. 18-22 in Mesa, Ariz., this new program, tailored to early career scientists and clinicians as well as those new to the field, will teach the fundamentals of cancer immunotherapy and allow attendees to choose from a variety of tracks that focus on topics most relevant to them. Space is limited so register early! Also, SITC will host its first Meet-the-Expert Webinar on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 12:30 p.m. CST. This hour-long webinar, moderated by Sruthi Ravindranathan, PhD (Emory University), and with participation from presenter Vionnie W.C. Yu, PhD (Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research), will focus on the topic Careers in Industry. Please click here to register for this free online event.
SITC continues its 2018-19 Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy™ (ACI) regional education program series, with events currently confirmed for Sacramento, Calif., on Jan. 10 in Houston on Feb. 9 and in Portland, Ore., on Feb. 21. Also, we look forward to hosting two, back-to-back thoughtful and engaging interim workshops, focused on cancer immune responsiveness and resistance; and adoptive cellular therapy. Stay tuned for information regarding location, registration and lodging.
If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll consider joining or renewing your SITC membership in 2019 to enjoy a variety of member benefits, including early access to register for the 34th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs, scheduled for Nov. 6-10, 2019, in National Harbor, Md.
I am excited to strengthen existing, and build new, relationships with leaders in the field as we work together to continue the growth and success of the society.
Sincerely,
Mario Sznol, MD
SITC President
SITC 2019 Year in Preview
The following are some of the exciting SITC programs and initiatives ahead in the New Year:
SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School
Join SITC for the 2019 Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School, a comprehensive cancer immunotherapy program in Mesa, Ariz., Feb. 18–22, 2019. Taught by leading experts, this five-day program will provide attendees a deep understanding of the core principles of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy and examine developing areas in the field. Reserve your hotel by Jan. 25 and register by Feb. 11.
Developed specifically to instruct early career scientists and clinicians as well as those new to the field, the program will first cover the fundamentals of cancer immunotherapy before allowing participants to tailor their experience by selecting the track most relevant to their educational goals.
During the course of the week, attendees will learn about:
- Core principles of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy
- Biomarker technology, validation and clinical integration
- Clinical trial design, data analysis and considerations for combination therapies
- Grant writing to obtain research funding
Organizers for this program are:
- Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD – PICI Research Center, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; University of California, San Francisco
- Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD – UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
- Michael A. Morse, MD – Duke University Medical Center
Click here to learn more and register today for the 2019 SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School. Please make your hotel reservation by Jan. 25 and register for the program by Feb. 11.
Scientific Outputs from SITC in 2019
SITC will host a number of meetings and publish even more manuscripts, white papers and other reports in 2019 that will seek to advance the science of cancer immunotherapy. Here are just a few of what’s to come from the society:
Cancer Immune Responsiveness Task Force White Paper
- A comprehensive view on cancer immune responsiveness: A synopsis from the 2018 SITC workshop
Pathology Task Force White Papers
- Two white papers discussing standardization of multispectral imaging techniques
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC)
- Submissions to SITC’s journal increased more than 200 percent in 2018, following JITC receiving its first impact factor of 8.374 in June 2018
34th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs – Nov. 6–10, 2019
- Primer on Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy™
- Workshop on Intratumoral Immunomodulation
- Industry Program – Topic TBD
- World Immunotherapy Council Young Investigator Symposium
- Meet-the-Expert Lunch
- Annual Meeting presentations
- Young Investigator Travel Awards
- Hot Topic Symposium
Other SITC Initiatives in 2019
SITC Fellowship Awards
SITC Membership
- SITC currently estimates the society’s membership will exceed 3,000 in 2019, an increase of more than 500 members
Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy™ (ACI) Regional Education Programs
- Seven ACI events currently planned, including:
SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines
- New and updated SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines are currently nearing publication or in development:
- Acute leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Head and neck cancers
- Renal cell carcinoma
- Multiple myeloma
- Immune-related adverse events (immune checkpoint inhibitors and cytokines and adoptive therapies)
- SITC will continue to host a free webinar, featuring experts in the field, following the publication of each guideline
Meet-the-Expert Series
- New, free webinars in 2019
- Return of the highly anticipated lunch event at the SITC Annual Meeting
Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Leadership Retreat
Professional Interest Communities
SITC Sparkathon
- SITC Sparkathon Class of 2018 to report findings during 34th Annual Meeting in November 2019