A Message from the President
Over the last 12 months, you collectively dedicated your creativity, energy, and expertise to a set of incredibly strategic and impactful SITC initiatives. From implementing artificial intelligence into immuno-oncology (IO), to highlighting the current understanding of intralesional immunotherapies, to applying principles of glyco-immunology, the science we sought, challenged, and advanced this year was groundbreaking.
Providing critical education on state-of-the-art drug development was top of mind for SITC in 2024. In September of this year, we hosted the SITC Immuno-Oncology Drug Summit to educate and engage the entire immuno-oncology community on the next wave of IO therapeutics. This event was a key forum for exploring and discussing best practices for modern IO drug development, including study design, regulatory pathways and emerging technologies.
Recognizing our pivotal role in shaping the field, the Board of Directors is excited to build on our 2024 programs and launch new initiatives in 2025. We will host a variety of programs exploring biomarkers to accelerate IO drug development, cellular therapy for solid tumors and much more. These programs and initiatives reflect SITC’s commitment to advancing the science and improving patient outcomes.
A key goal of our efforts is developing the next generation of diverse leaders in cancer immunotherapy. With travel awards, fellowships, volunteer and presentation opportunities, SITC remains dedicated to supporting early career investigators. These initiatives are made possible by SITC’s Forward Fund, which provides critical support for all our early career investigator efforts. As you plan your year-end giving, please consider a gift to the Forward Fund. If you make your gift before Dec. 31, your impact will double through a matching gift from an anonymous donor.
It has been an honor to serve as SITC president these last two years. I’m grateful to have engaged in many field-wide initiatives that connected me to academic, pharma and biotech collaborators and NCI and FDA colleagues. I’m pleased to hand the reins of SITC leadership to fellow colleague and friend James Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP. I look forward to supporting Dr. Gulley’s tenure as SITC President as he helps make the next two years for SITC our best yet. I’d also like to thank all of you for everything you do for SITC, and for patients with cancer.
Cheers to another year of innovation and success. Happy holidays to the entire SITC family!
Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD
SITC President
Program Spotlight
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Submit an Abstract for Spring Scientific – Cellular Therapy for Solid Tumors
March 12–14, San Diego, CA and Virtually
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Time to submit your research! The Spring Scientific organizers invite researchers to share their latest data on cellular therapy for solid tumors and the challenges associated with bringing these novel therapies to patients. Encore abstracts are welcome!
Join keynote speaker John Haanen, MD, PhD for a cutting-edge presentation – Learnings from TIL to Melanoma. We encourage clinical, translational, and discovery science researchers studying hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, synthetic versus endogenous immunity, and in vivo therapy focusing on emerging platform technologies to attend and submit an abstract.
Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to the advancing field, your work is essential to SITC and the IO community. SITC is accepting abstracts for the 2025 Spring Scientific until Jan. 8 at 5 p.m. PST.
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CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY
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WINTER SCHOOL
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Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School, Feb. 11–14, Austin, TX and Virtually
Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School (CIWS) offers a comprehensive introduction to tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy concepts, providing a foundation in topics such as biomarker technology, validation and clinical integration, clinical trial design, data analysis, and combination therapy considerations.
Participants will also explore exciting research areas like “Adaptive Immunity: Cellular Mechanisms and Signaling” and Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs). For those new to the field or eager to further their expertise, CIWS is a can’t miss event!
With a SITC membership, registering before the New Year can save up to $250 off regular rates. Secure your spot today!
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SITC Summit on Neuro Immuno-Oncology: From Challenges to Opportunities
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025 | 12–4 p.m. EDT
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Join us for a free virtual educational event highlighting the current understanding and recent advances in neuro immuno-oncology (NIO). Leading NIO experts will explore the field’s current state and the evolving landscape of immunotherapy for treating brain tumors. Topics include Topics include the immune microenvironment of primary brain tumors, metastases in adult and pediatric patients, clinical trials of cellular therapies, and the challenges facing NIO.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from NIO experts and gain insights on future directions!
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SITC Membership Makes IT Possible
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Join SITC today! As a member, you will unlock opportunities, resources and connections to advance your career and impact the immuno-oncology field.
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Additional Programming and Events
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