A Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

In one month, the SITC family will gather once again, in National Harbor, Md., to hear the latest research in tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy as presented by many of the world’s foremost experts in the field. I am looking forward to welcoming you all to this reunion, our society’s 34^th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2019). Regular abstract titles and author information were released on Tuesday, Oct. 1, and late-breaking abstract titles will be published on Nov. 1.

The complete SITC 2019 schedule continues to expand. There are so many reasons to attend; the latest advances in tumor immunobiology, state-of-the-art translational studies, results from early clinical trials, interactions with colleagues in government, academia, and industry, and of course, party with The CheckPoints. I’d like to highlight several recent additions to our annual event that will give you even more reasons to attend.

The first is a special session to focus on Lessons and Challenges from the Immunotherapy of Hematologic Malignancies: Informing the Next Generation of Cancer Immunotherapies. This is an exciting collaboration with the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and will kick-off the 34^th Annual Meeting proceedings on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019, from 1-5 p.m. ET. We will also live stream the session to a global audience, inviting those to attend who cannot join us in National Harbor. I want to convey a special thank you to co-chairs, Katayoun Rezvani, MD, PhD (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), and John M. Timmerman, MD (University of California, Los Angeles), who will lead the discussions during the session. To learn more about the session and to register for this live webcast opportunity, please click here.

Another highly anticipated program is this year’s Hot Topic Symposium on the final day of the SITC Annual Meeting, “Patient Impact on Immune Responses.” Chaired by Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) and Jennifer McQuade, MD, MS, MA, LAc (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), this symposium will explore the many factors that can impact a patient’s anti-tumor immune response, including body mass index, gender, genetics, the microbiome and diet. A greater understanding of these factors will further personalize and optimize immunotherapy approaches for all cancer patients.

With what I believe reflects the excitement and promise of our field for cancer patients and our society’s efforts to advance the field and support our members, membership in SITC continues to grow. More clinical and laboratory investigators, clinicians, industry professionals and others are joining the SITC family than ever before! For this success we thank our members, prior leaders of SITC and the outstanding SITC staff. Welcome to the world’s leading organization dedicated to cancer immunotherapy; we’re happy to have you in the family!

Nonmembers who haven’t yet registered for SITC 2019 can become a SITC member very quickly and easily during the registration process. The deadline to receive the discounted registration rate to attend SITC 2019 is quickly approaching (Oct. 9, 2019), and the housing reservation deadline follows on Oct. 14, 2019. I appreciate the hard work of our organizers, faculty and staff as they complete their final preparations to ensure SITC 2019 is our society’s greatest conference yet.

Please be sure to visit the SITC booth during the Annual Meeting to join SITC or renew your membership. Those who secure their membership through the next calendar year while attending SITC 2019 will receive a special gift from the society.

I look forward to seeing you all in National Harbor, Md., next month.

Sincerely,

SITC President

34^th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2019)
Nov. 6-10, 2019, in National Harbor, Md. • View Schedule

Registration and housing for SITC 2019, the leading destination for scientific exchange, education and networking in the cancer immunotherapy field, is open to the general public!

• Early registration deadline: Oct. 9, 2019
• Housing reservation deadline: Oct. 14, 2019
• Final registration deadline: Nov. 1, 2019
• Onsite registration: Nov. 5–10, 2019

SITC members receive discounted registration to all society meetings, including SITC 2019. If you are not currently a SITC member, you can become a SITC member through the SITC 2019 registration process.

Avoid Fraudulent SITC 2019 Registration Websites

Last year, the SITC office received communication about fraudulent emails, phone calls and offers regarding our Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs.

This year, we’re proactively informing our stakeholders to ensure you’re aware so that you may safely register for the event through the official website (if you’ve not done so already), and so that you can confirm the communication you receive is from valid sources.

The official registration for SITC 2019 is available here: https://www.sitcancer.org/2019/attendee-resources/registration. Please direct all registration-related questions to SITC@showcare.com or 1-866-320-3203. All official forthcoming registration information will come from “Showcare," (SITC@showcare.com), SITC 2019’s official registration partner.

If you have further questions about this email, please contact the SITC office at events@sitcancer.org or 414-271-2456.

Make Your Mark at SITC 2019

Sponsor or advertise at the largest cancer immunotherapy conference with an opportunity to get your message in front of an estimated 5,000 attendees. This event brings together international leaders from academia, regulatory and government agencies, as well as industry representatives. To learn more about the exciting opportunities contact development@sitcancer.org.

Additional Program Details

34^th Annual Meeting
Nov. 7-10, 2019

34^th Annual Meeting Organizers

• Ana Carrizosa Anderson, PhD – Harvard Medical School
• Marianne Davies, DNP, AOCNP – Yale School of Nursing
• Stefani Spranger, PhD – Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT
• Ahmad A. Tarhini, MD, PhD – Emory University and Winship Comprehensive Cancer Center

Annual Program Committee

• Chair: Sandra Demaria, MD – Weill Cornell Medicine
• Davide Bedognetti, MD, PhD – Sidra Medical
• Patrick Hwu, MD – University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Krista Rubin, MS, FNP-BC – Massachusetts General Hospital
• Dario A.A. Vignali, PhD – University of Pittsburgh

The 34^th Annual Meeting provides a multidisciplinary educational and interactive environment focused on improving outcomes for current and future patients with cancer by incorporating strategies based on basic and applied cancer immunotherapy.

SITC Collaboration with ASH to Kick-off SITC 2019, be Live Streamed
Nov. 7, 2019, 1-5 p.m. ET

SITC will collaborate with the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for an exciting SITC 2019 session on Thursday, Nov. 7, that will also be live streamed to a global audience. The session, “Lessons and Challenges from the Immunotherapy of Hematologic Malignancies: Informing the Next Generation of Cancer Immunotherapies,” will offer attendees a deeper understanding of the predictors and mechanisms of tumor escape, the contribution of the tumor microenvironment, and how this knowledge can be used for the development of novel immune therapeutic agents for the treatment of all types of cancer.

Session Co-Chairs

• Katayoun Rezvani, MD, PhD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• John M. Timmerman, MD – University of California, Los Angeles

Click here to learn more about how you can virtually attend this exciting new addition to the SITC 2019 schedule!

Hot Topic Symposium: Patient Impact on Immune Responses
Nov. 10, 2019

The SITC 2019 Hot Topic Symposium will discuss the many factors that can impact a patient’s immune response, ranging from BMI, gender, and genetics to the microbiome and diet, aiding in immunotherapy outcomes for all cancer patients.

Symposium Co-Chairs:

• Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Jennifer McQuade, MD, MS, MA, LAc – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Pre-Conference Programs
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019
World Immunotherapy Council’s 3rd Young Investigator Symposium
8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

WIC Organizers

• Samir N. Khleif, MD – Georgetown University
• Jose A. Lopez-Martin, MD, PhD – 12 de Octubre University Hospital & Research Institute
• Brad Nelson, PhD – BC Cancer – Deeley Research Centre
• Graham Pawelec, PhD – University of Tuebingen
• Barbara Seliger, MD, PhD – Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
• Joe Yeong, MBBS, PhD – Singapore General Hospital

SITC and the World Immunotherapy Council (WIC) are dedicated to advancing cancer immunotherapy and, likewise, the future leaders of the field. This program will provide the opportunity for young scientists and future leaders from throughout the world to interact, fulfilling the World Immunotherapy Council’s mission to facilitate rapid development and global dissemination of cancer immunotherapies through scientific exchange.

Novel Multi-Targeted Therapeutic Platforms
2 – 6:30 p.m.

Program Organizers

• Alessandra Cesano, MD, PhD – ESSA Pharma Inc.
• Edward Cha, MD, PhD – Genentech
• Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD – Eli Lilly
• Israel Lowy, MD, PhD – Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
• Salil Patel, PhD – Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Eric Rubin, MD – Merck & Co., Inc.

With the approval of the first bispecific T-cell engager in 2018, and with many more such multi-targeted antibodies in clinical trials, there has been a resurgence of interest in these multi-functional platforms. Other related platforms, such as cytokine fusions and CAR T cell approaches, are also making their mark on the cancer treatment landscape. As these agents make their way into the clinic, however, many important scientific and clinical questions have been raised. During this half-day program, multi-targeted therapeutic platforms will be discussed by experts in the field, along with the opportunity for investigators to submit their own related work for consideration at this unique symposium.

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019
Primer on Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy™
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Primer Organizers

• Michael Curran, PhD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Jonathan Powell, MD, PhD – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The understanding of cancer immunobiology has increased dramatically in recent years, leading to the successful development of novel immune-based treatment options to improve cancer patient outcomes. The SITC Primer on Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy™ is designed to provide a foundation for understanding core immunology principles as they relate to basic and clinical research in immunotherapy of cancer.

Workshop on Intratumoral Immunomodulation
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Workshop Organizers

• Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD – The Tisch Cancer Institute at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Adi Diab, MD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Immunotherapy treatments inherently rely on the presence of immune cells, both systemic and localized to the tumor microenvironment. Immunologically “hot” tumors, such as melanoma, have demonstrated enhanced responses to immunotherapy treatments; however, many tumors are “cold”, lacking the necessary immune components for a successful treatment. Many techniques, including radiotherapy, synthetic immunomodulators, oncolytic viruses, and certain systemic treatments, have been shown to manipulate the immune status of the treated tumor microenvironment, and even those tumor sites elsewhere in the body (abscopal effects). Such manipulations can increase the presence of desirable immune infiltrates and potentially lead to favorable treatment outcomes. In this workshop, the current status of intratumoral immunomodulation will be presented and future directions for the field will be discussed, along with their implications for current and forthcoming immunotherapy treatments.

Grant Writing Workshop: The study section black box: A look inside the grant review process
6 – 8 p.m.

Grant Writing Workshop Organizers

• David Aggen, MD, PhD – Columbia University Medical Center/NYPH
• Ana Carrizosa Anderson, PhD – Harvard Medical School
• Lorenzo Falchi, MD – Columbia University Medical Center
• Saman Maleki, PhD – Western University
• Claire Vanpouille-Box, PhD – Weill Cornell Medical College

This two-hour program features two sessions. The first session will open with an overview of the grant submission process, briefly outlining funding opportunities and how to navigate those. Session one will also address critical points of government and private sector grant submissions. The second session will consist of a “mini-study section,” allowing attendees to experience how a study section evaluates a grant proposal, which will help attendees identify points that determine the success or failure of a grant proposal and help them optimize the process of grant re-submission.

Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network Leadership Institute Enduring Materials Now Available

Enduring materials from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s (SITC) Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network (WIN) Leadership Institute are now available! The SITC WIN Leadership Institute, which took place Aug. 19-20 in Seattle, featured foremost female experts in the cancer immunotherapy field leading discussion of important topics relevant to the advancement of women. The program is championed by SITC Immediate Past President Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD (Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy/University of California San Francisco).

As a SITC member benefit, members can access the enduring materials for free now. The enduring materials are available for purchase to the general public now, eventually becoming open access on Nov. 20, 2019. Those who attended the program in-person have immediate access to the materials. Please click here to beginning accessing these enduring materials.

Refer Your Patients to the Lung Cancer Registry

SITC is pleased to partner with the GO₂ Foundation for Lung Cancer to encourage healthcare providers and clinicians to refer lung cancer patients to join the Lung Cancer Registry. The Lung Cancer Registry is open to all lung cancer patients to provide patient reported data with emphasis on recruiting patients treated with immunotherapy. The Lung Cancer Registry aims to empower lung cancer research to lead to a better understanding of the disease, diagnostics and treatments to bring about better patient outcomes.

Please visit the Lung Cancer Registry to learn more.