A Message from the President
Dear Colleagues,
Only a few days remain before The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s 35th Anniversary Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2020) begins on Nov. 9, 2020. This will be our first virtual meeting, and I anticipate that all the preparation and hard work will produce the best possible meeting experience for our members and our many colleagues who will join us from around the globe. I also want to extend a warm welcome to the more than 1,300 researchers and clinicians who joined the SITC family in 2020 and I look forward to working together with you in the future.
The Annual Meeting is the highlight of the year for our society and there are always many reasons to attend, but the focus is on the new and exciting data from research spanning across the entire spectrum of cancer immunotherapy. Oral and poster presentations will cover a broad range of topics including tumor immunobiology, the tumor microenvironment, mechanisms of response and resistance to immune modulators, novel immunotherapy strategies in the clinic, and emerging clinical data from new agents and combinations.
On behalf of the society, I extend our congratulations to this year’s nominees for the Presidential Award, who will present their work on Friday, Nov. 13, beginning at 1:30 p.m. EST. These abstracts were selected from a large group of submissions and represent the work of highly motivated and talented early career investigators. This year’s nominees are:
- Defne Bayik, PhD – Cleveland Clinic
- Emily Hsiue, MD – Johns Hopkins University
- Nils-Petter Rudqvist, PhD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Michal Sheffer, PhD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
To mitigate some of the disadvantages of a virtual meeting, opportunities were created within the meeting to enhance connections with presenters. I invite you to attend the virtual poster sessions starting Nov. 9 at 8 a.m. EST hall. In these sessions, attendees can chat in real time with poster presenters during the following designated poster presentation hours:
- Odd-numbered posters: Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 5:15–5:45 p.m. EST, and Friday, Nov. 13, from 4:40–5:10 p.m. EST
- Even-numbered posters: Thursday, Nov. 12, from 4:50–5:20 p.m. EST, and Saturday, Nov. 14, from 1–1:30 p.m. EST
For a complete look at this year’s abstracts, please visit the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), our society’s open access, peer-reviewed online journal, to view the abstract supplement that will be published as a preprint on Monday morning. Also, we extend our congratulations to JITC Editor-in-Chief Pedro J. Romero, MD, and the countless other editors, reviewers and contributors, on the recent news that the journal increased its impact factor to 10.252! This is a remarkable accomplishment in such a short period of time, and Dr. Romero has initiated an ambitious agenda to further increase the value and impact of the Journal.
The SITC Annual Meeting would not be the same without The CheckPoints party, so join in to hear them on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. EST (through ZOOM) for a special happy hour. Don’t forget to order your limited edition T-shirt and CheckPoints Mask to support the Forward Fund.
Finally, please remember that everyone registered for SITC 2020 can now explore the SITC 2020 virtual environment. The preview continues prior to the opening of our pre-conference programs on Monday morning. Please click here to set up your profile, access the virtual exhibit hall and plan your schedule for next week.
Thank you all for your commitment to SITC. Look forward to seeing you online next week!
Sincerely,
Mario Sznol, MD
SITC President
Virtually Attend the 35th Anniversary Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs
SITC 2020 Preview is Now Live – Register Today to Access the Virtual Environment
The 35th Anniversary Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2020) platform is now live! Reimagined as a virtual event, SITC 2020 is now welcoming registrants to log in and access their conference profiles and begin touring the online platform in the lead up to the Nov. 9–14, 2020, virtual conference. In celebration of the society’s 35th anniversary, all SITC members can register for FREE access to the entire Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs. Become a SITC member or renew your membership during the registration process to take advantage of this exclusive member benefit.
SITC 2020 Schedule At-a-Glance
The following are the dates and titles of this year’s pre-conference programs. Click the titles to learn more about each program’s objectives, targeted audiences and much more.
Oct. 26-Nov. 8, 2020
Monday, Nov. 9, 2020
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020
Wednesday–Saturday, Nov. 11–14, 2020
Additional SITC 2020 Activities
Support SITC 2020
Make your mark by exhibiting at SITC's 35th Anniversary Annual Meeting. This event brings together international leaders from academia, regulatory and government agencies, as well as industry representatives for unmatched education, scientific exchange and networking with the scientists driving the field. Click here to learn more about exhibiting options at SITC 2020.
Sponsor or advertise and get your message in front of an estimated 5,000 attendees. To learn more about these exciting opportunities contact development@sitcancer.org.
Registration Now Open to Virtually Attend the 2020 SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School
SITC is pleased to host its third annual Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School, a comprehensive cancer immunotherapy education program, which will be held virtually on Feb. 22–24, 2021. Taught by leading experts in the field, this program provides a deep understanding of the core principles of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy as well as developing areas in the field including biomarker technology, validation and clinical integration; clinical trial design, data analysis and considerations for combination therapies.
Winter School Organizers:
- Christian Capitini, MD – University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD – UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
- Daniel Powell, PhD – University of Pennsylvania
The Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School program is tailored to early-to-mid career scientists and clinicians in the field of cancer immunotherapy working in academic, clinical, industry and government settings as well as those new to the field. The curriculum covers the fundamentals of cancer immunotherapy and features separate tracks, including clinical and research, allowing participants to tailor their experience by selecting the educational path most relevant to their learning goals.
Click here to view registration rates for this program and then register now to confirm your attendance.