2025 Spring Scientific


Abstract Submissions Open

September 16, 2024


Early Registration Deadline

December 20, 2024


Abstract Submissions Close

January 8, 2025


Housing Deadline

February 7, 2025

Cellular Therapy for Solid Tumors

2023 SCION Faculty & Organizers

The SITC Spring Scientific, Cellular Therapy for Solid Tumors, will address the recent advances in adoptive cellular therapy for solid tumors and rate-limiting challenges that impede bringing these novel therapies to patients in need. The program will feature in-depth discussions of the latest scientific insights and advances in the field and unique opportunities and unanswered questions in the areas of target antigen selection, product design, and therapeutic efficacy and safety.

SITC will bring the brightest minds and the next generation of leaders together to explore the more promising science and develop novel opportunities to address these challenges.

Session Topics

  • CARs
  • Everything but the T cell
  • Genome Editing, Technology, In vivo Gene Editing, Base Editing, CRISPR Mouse Models
  • Novel Targets for Solid Tumor Cell Therapies
  • Strategies to Enhance T cell Fitness and Potency
  • TCR Gene Therapy: From Private to Public Antigen Targeting
  • Technologies for Correlative Studies
  • The Tumor Microenvironment: Understanding and Engineering Effective Immunotherapy
  • TILs

VIEW SCHEDULE

Keynote Address: Learnings from TIL to Melanoma

John Haanen, MD, PhDJohn Haanen, MD, PhDNetherlands Cancer Institute

In the past year treatment with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has become a new standard of care for patients with metastatic melanoma having failed prior immune checkpoint blockade. TIL therapy consists of the surgical resection of a metastatic lesion, used to manufacture the ATMP, conditioning of the patient with non-myeloablative cyclophosphamide plus fludarabine, the intravenous TIL infusion followed by up to 5-6 doses of high-dose interleukin-2. This was based on a... large single arm phase II study with... > 150 patients treated with lifileucel, a commercial, unmodified, autologous, cryopreserved, polyclonal T cell product, and from a randomized controlled open-label phase III trial comparing infusion of an unmodified, autologous fresh TIL product to ipilimumab in anti-PD-1 therapy refractory metastatic melanoma patients. In contrast to immune checkpoint inhibition, mucosal and acral lentiginous melanoma patients derive similar benefit from TIL as patients with cutaneous melanoma despite a much lower tumor mutational burden. The TIL product is the result of a 5-week culture period in high dose interleukin-2, including an aspecific stimulation to expand TIL to billions of cells. I will present data on how to unravel the trajectory of T cells coming from fresh tumor digest to the final product, whether they are tumor-reactive and whether their cell state at the start of the culture period can be linked to response. In addition, I will present early results of how to improve TIL therapy by finding alternatives for high dose interleukin-2, aiming at manufacturing a better product.

Learning Objectives

  1. Describe types of cellular therapies currently being explored for the treatment of solid tumors and their mechanisms of action
  2. Outline methods to identify therapeutic targets and design/develop cellular therapies for solid tumors, with an emphasis on improving therapeutic efficacy
  3. Analyze current clinical and translational studies of engineered and non-engineered cellular therapies for solid tumors

Target Audience

The target audience for this program includes clinical, basic, and translational researchers from academic, industry, or government settings interested in exploring differences between hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, synthetic versus endogenous immunity, and in vivo cell therapy with a focus on emerging platform technologies.

Program Organizers

Christine Brown, PhD

Christine Brown, PhD
City of Hope

Jennifer L. Guerriero, PhD

Jennifer L. Guerriero, PhD 
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

John Haanen, MD, PhD

John Haanen, MD, PhD 
Netherlands Cancer Institute

Christopher A. Klebanoff, MD

Christopher A. Klebanoff, MD 
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Daniel J. Powell, Jr., PhD

Daniel J. Powell, Jr., PhD 
University of Pennsylvania

Evan W. Weber, PhD 

Evan W. Weber, PhD 
University of Pennsylvania

Registration Information

SITC Members are eligible for discounted registration rates. To receive discounted member rates, your membership dues must be current. Renew your dues or become a SITC member today. Please note your registration classification to determine the correct registration rate. For nonmembers, your classification is determined by your primary institution.

Hotel & Venue Information

Rancho Bernardo Inn  |  17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego, CA

Tucked away among the rolling hills of San Diego’s North County and bounded by a championship golf course and stately private residences, the 265-acre resort is a respite from the mundane.

BOOK YOUR ROOM

Registration Rates

2025 Spring Scientific Pricing
  Early Regular Onsite
Member  $600   $800  $850
Industry Member  $1,760   $1,960   $2,100 
Student Member  $300  $500   $550
Non-member  $720   $920   $970 
Industry Non-member  $2,200   $2,400   $2,450 
Student Non-member $360 $560 $610
Developing Economies Member
$0
$0
$0
Developing Economies Non-member
$25
$25
$25

Photography Policy and Meeting Code of Conduct 

SITC often employs the services of a professional photographer/videographer at SITC events to capture images and audiovisual (AV) recordings for use in society archival and promotional material. Your attendance at SITC events implies your permission for images and an AV recording captured to be used for purposes of SITC archival materials, promotional materials, and publications, and waives your rights for compensation or ownership of these images.

View the SITC Meeting Code of Conduct.

COVID-19 Measures 

At SITC programs, our goal is to have a safe and meaningful in-person experience. SITC will refer to the CDC COVID-19 Community Levels to guide health precautions for in-person meetings. In addition, SITC strongly recommends that in-person meeting attendees take the following precautions:

·        Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations

·        Take a rapid COVID test prior to attending a meeting and do not attend in person if you test positive

·        Do not attend the meeting if you have symptoms that could be consistent with a “cold” or any other respiratory infection and leave the meeting if you develop such symptoms

·        Wear a mask in crowded indoor settings 

·        Follow all health and safety protocols as required by SITC and local and state health departments

·        Review current CDC and applicable local guidance for protecting yourself from COVID-19.

Attendees will have access to the meeting content online if they are unable to attend in person due to illness or a positive COVID test. For hybrid programs, attendees can change from in-person to online-only registration by contacting events@sitcancer.org.

Registered attendees will be notified in advance of any changes to precautions, recommendations or requirements for a SITC meeting.

Abstracts

There will be a call for abstracts for the SITC Spring Scientific, Cellular Therapy for Solid Tumors. Poster presentation and oral presentation opportunities will be available, and encore presentations will be allowed. View the Abstract Reference Guide.

September 16, 2024 - Abstract Submission Site Opens 

January 8, 2025 - Abstract Submission Site Closes

Submit Abstract

Important Abstract Dates

  • Sept. 16, 2024
    Abstract Submission Site Opens
  • Jan. 8, 2025
    Abstract Submission Site Closes at 5 p.m. PST
  • Jan. 27, 2025
    Abstract Notifications Sent
  • March 12-14, 2025
    2025 SITC Spring Scientific

Abstract Presentation Information

Oral Abstract Presentation Information
At least 15 oral abstract presentations are available during the Spring Scientific.

Poster Abstract Presentation Information
Poster presentations are available. Posters will be presented during two evening receptions. Poster receptions will occur on Wednesday, March 12 and Thursday, March 13.

Poster specifications will be based on the number of abstracts that will be presented and will be provided with acceptance notifications. The presenting author is responsible for printing, bringing and hanging up their poster. SITC does not provide printing services on-site, or special accommodations for disposing of or shipping posters after the workshop.

Spring Scientific Abstract Awards 

Five abstract awards will be offered for outstanding abstract submissions. The awardees will be selected by the program organizers from the top scored abstracts. Those selected will receive complimentary registration to the Spring Scientific, as well as a certificate and a poster ribbon.

Two of the five awards will be reserved for those who self-identify as individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the biomedical sciences according to the NIH definition. The information collected in response to the self-identifying process will only be viewed by SITC staff and program organizers.

Questions?

If you have questions about this program, please contact education@sitcancer.org.