The Biotech Committee spearheading the SITC Biotech Strategic Initiative calls on all stakeholders, including academia, investors, industry, government, and advocacy, to support an exponential wave of approvals for patients who are waiting. IO Trailblazers Drs. Zhen Su (chair) and Kristen Hege (co-chair) to lead Committee. IO Luminary Dr. Carl June among presenters at Biotech Session highlighting promising novel biotechnologies for the next wave of IO innovation.
MILWAUKEE, Oct. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) announces the launch of a new strategic initiative designed to build a strong, sustainable ecosystem for the Immuno-Oncology (IO) Biotech Community, led by a multi-stakeholder Biotech Committee. The initiative will be launched during SITC's 38th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs taking place from November 1st-5th in San Diego, CA.
The Biotech Committee kickoff event includes both the first biotech scientific session and the first biotech regulatory roundtable with FDA representatives during the 2023 SITC annual meeting. These two sessions will harness the collective entrepreneurial spirit, intellectual power, and commitment of leaders in the industry, government, and academic sectors of the biotech community, with the goal of accelerating the development of new medicines to cure and prevent cancer.
"We are thrilled to convene great minds from this thriving community to accelerate the discovery and the development of innovative medicines to cure patients," said Dr. Zhen Su, Committee Chair. "The past 10 years have ushered in so much progress through shared learning. We now have the opportunity to establish a new standard of collaboration that eliminates conventional barriers to progress and creates a clear path for patient impact, enabling our goal of another 100 IO approvals over the next 10 years."
The biotech scientific session will feature promising, next-wave IO approaches and novel clinical trial results that have the potential to advance the field. The session will highlight a range of diverse modalities, including CAR-T cells and T cell engagers for solid tumors, mRNA-based cancer vaccines, bi-specific molecules, next generation immune checkpoint inhibitors, and oncolytic immunotherapies.
"Recent advances in biotechnology and translational science have aligned with our deep understanding of cancer immunobiology to enable us to realize the true potential of IO in treating, intercepting, and preventing cancer," said Dr. Leisha Emens, SITC President. "SITC provides the ideal forum to foster a diverse community of leaders across the IO landscape that shares the goal of disruptive innovation in IO. SITC aims to nurture an ecosystem that will catalyze therapeutic innovation, collaboratively incubating and developing ideas that enable the implementation of both effective cancer immunotherapies and cancer immunoprevention strategies for patients, leading to our goal of a cancer-free world."
Over 400 hundred public or private biotech companies in the US are focused on IO or have platforms with specific indications for cancer immunotherapies. In addition, well over 10,000 scientific professionals, investors, and other key stakeholders are committed to measurable progress in IO. SITC believes that harnessing the collective intellectual power and commitment of diverse leaders in the biotech ecosystem will yield exponential results in creating new medicines for people confronting cancer.
The SITC Board of Director's vision for the Biotech Initiative extends well beyond bringing key stakeholders together. SITC is also defining a framework for the future of drug development through mentorship, education, and relationship-building to bring innovative life-saving, FDA-approved IO medicines to people facing the prospect of cancer.
About SITC
Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC is comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Through educational initiatives that foster scientific exchange and collaboration among leaders in the field, SITC aims to one day make the word "cure" a reality for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more about SITC, our educational offerings and other resources at sitcancer.org and follow us on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
Media Contact
Peg Rusconi, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 617-910-6217, [email protected], www.sitcancer.org
Thomas Martin, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 414-271-2456, [email protected], www.sitcancer.org
SOURCE Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
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