Parker Institute Researchers Highlighted at CRI-ENCI-AACR Sixth International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference #CICON22

Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy investigators will present the latest findings in immuno-oncology research at the CRI-ENCI-AACR Sixth International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference (#CICON22), Sept. 28-Oct. 1 in New York.

The conference focuses on “Translating Science into Survival” and features pre-clinical and clinical research from top immunotherapy scientists in the U.S. and Europe. Topics include T-cell failure, tumor vaccination and the tumor microenvironment.

The event is organized by the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), European Network for Cancer Immunotherapy (ENCI) and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). 

Two Parker Institute members are conference co-chairs this year:

• John Wherry, PhD, (Twitter: @EJohnWherry) of the University of Pennsylvania
• Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, (Twitter: @wolchokj) of Weill Cornell Medicine

PICI Network researchers James Allison, PhD, (Twitter: @JimAllisonPhD) of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Carl June, MD, (Twitter: @carlhjune) of the University of Pennsylvania are two of the nine members of the scientific planning committee.

PICI Network researcher Crystal Mackall, MD, (Twitter: @MackallLab) of Stanford Medicine will deliver the keynote address, “Expanding the reach of CAR T cell therapy for cancer,” Sept. 28 at 8:15 a.m. Eastern.

Below are other select sessions featuring Parker Institute investigators. Please note that all events listed are subject to change. For the most current information, visit the event program. 

Follow the meeting live on Twitter using the hashtag #CICON22.

Sept. 28

Session 1: T Cell Failure in Cancer Immunotherapy
Session Chair: Andrea Schietinger, PhD, (Twitter: @SchietingerLab), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
9 a.m. Eastern

Presenter: Andrea Schietinger, PhD
Title: CD8 T cell fate decisions in cancer and autoimmunity

Presenter: Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD, (Twitter: @Satpathology), Stanford Medicine
Title: High-throughput genomics in cancer immunotherapy

Session 2: Yin and Yang of Tumor Microenvironment (part 1): Suppressing Antitumor Response
2:30 p.m. Eastern

Presenter: Santosh Vardhana, MD, PhD, (Twitter: @SantoshVardhana), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Title: Context-dependent regulation of T-cell exhaustion by extracellular nutrient availability

Sept. 29

Session 5: Moderated Debate: Utility of Preclinical Models
4:30 p.m. Eastern

Presenter: Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, (Twitter: @PamSharmaMDPhD), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Title: From the clinic to the lab: Investigating mechanisms of response and resistance to immune checkpoint therapy

Presenter: Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, PhD, (Twitter: @DmitriyZamarin), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Title: Modeling immune response in ovarian cancer: opportunities and challenges

Sept. 30

Session 6: Cellular Therapies: Engineering T cells
Session Chair: Yvonne Chen, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
8:30 a.m. Eastern 

Presenter: Christopher Klebanoff, MD (Twitter: @KlebanoffLab), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Title: Immunogenic and therapeutic landscape of NRAS 61 public neoantigens

Presenter: Yvonne Chen, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
Title: Engineering next-generation CAR-T cells for cancer immunotherapy

Presenter: Avery Posey, PhD, (Twitter: @IAmDrDex) University of Pennsylvania
Title: Enhancing CAR T cell specificity and activity

Presenter: Justin Eyquem, PhD, (Twitter: @j_eyquem) University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Title: To be announced

Session 7: Embracing the Host Ecosystem or Ecology: Immune Health and Fitness
Session Chair: John Wherry, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
2 p.m. Eastern

Presenter: Matthew Spitzer, PhD, (Twitter: @SpitzerLab) University of California, San Francisco, Gladstone-UCSF Institute for Genomic Immunology
Title: Systemic impacts of cancer on immune function

Oct. 1

Session 8: Barriers and Opportunities for Tumor Vaccination
8 a.m. Eastern

Presenter: Vinod Balachandran, MD (Twitter: @TheVinodLab), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Topic: Individualized mRNA neoantigen vaccines for pancreatic cancer 

Session 9: Spatial, Temporal and Computational Approaches for Understanding Tumor Immunity
Session Chair: Robert Schreiber, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
10:30 a.m. Eastern

Presenter: Robert Schreiber, PhD
Topic: Spatial-proteomics analysis of successful cancer immunotherapy in a mouse cancer model