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“Together, these workshops will help attendees stay at the forefront of new technologies that will lead to the real-world application of these therapies and eventually improved patient care,” said SITC President Mario Sznol, MD.
MILWAUKEE (PRWEB) April 29, 2019
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer will host two timely, back-to-back workshops Sept. 4 – 6, 2019 in Houston, Texas that will address critical challenges, facilitate innovative collaborations, and develop strategies to ensure continued momentum in the field of cancer immunotherapy.
First, the SITC Cancer Immune Responsiveness Task Force will build upon last year’s success by hosting a second Cancer Immune Responsiveness Workshop, Sept. 4 – 5. The workshop will focus on the role of host genetics and epigenetics in immune responsiveness, biological features of the tumor microenvironment which indicate active anti-tumor immunity and the capacity to reject the tumor after immune interventions, and novel therapeutic strategies to alter the tumor immune microenvironment. The workshop will also help to educate the scientific community on the status and direction of immunotherapy research and will culminate in a manuscript to be submitted for publication in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC).
This event will be followed by a second workshop, Sept. 5 – 6, focused on the rapidly evolving field of adoptive cellular therapies. Following the 2017 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapies for the treatment of patients with lymphoma and leukemia, the field of adoptive cell therapy is receiving increased attention from scientists, clinicians, patients, regulators and payers. The workshop will address several topics including novel cell engineering strategies to improve activity and reduce toxicity, clinical development and regulatory challenges, manufacturing, and patient access.
“SITC is continually developing opportunities to create a lasting impact on clinical practice by highlighting emerging topics relevant to immuno-oncology,” said SITC President Mario Sznol, MD. “Together, these workshops will help attendees stay at the forefront of new technologies that will lead to the real-world application of these therapies and eventually improved patient care.”
It is anticipated that the efforts of the cell therapy workshop, and the resulting manuscript, will help fuel innovative collaborative efforts and the dissemination of knowledge throughout the field.
In addition, three collaborative sessions, taking place the morning of Sept. 5, will allow attendees from both workshops to discuss common challenges of the field and new concepts that impact cancer immune responsiveness and adoptive cellular therapies.
The workshops are organized by prominent members of the immuno-oncology community, including Alessandra Cesano, MD, PhD from NanoString Technologies, Inc., Francesco M. Marincola, MD from Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc., and Katayoun Rezvani, MD, PhD from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
For more information, including how to register, visit the SITC website at sitcancer.org.
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 Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
