AACR Grantee Summit: Igniting Innovation in Cancer Research

5:30 – 7:00 pm

Reception with Light Hors d’Oeuvres (Location: Georgian Room)

7:10 – 8:10 am

Check-In and Breakfast (Location: Salon Foyer)

8:10 – 8:30 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks (Location: Salon I & II)

• Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer, AACR
• Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, FAACR, New York University Grossman School of Medicine 

8:30 – 9:15 am

Keynote Address (Introduced by: Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine)

Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Center

9:15 – 10:15 am

Grantee Presentations Session I: Decoding Cancer Vulnerabilities (Location: Salon I & II)

15 minutes each (10-minute presentation followed by 5-minute Q&A)

9:15 – 9:30: USP13-overexpressing fallopian tube-origin model reveals lineage-plastic cell states associated with human HGSOC (Cecil Han, PhD, Georgetown University)

9:30 – 9:45: Acetyl hubs define enhancer addiction and a therapeutic vulnerability to CBP/p300 inhibition in fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma (Md Imdadul H. Khan, PhD, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine)

9:45 – 10:00: Regulation and therapeutic targeting of ribosomal RNA synthesis in acute myeloid leukemia (Putzer J. Hung, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania)

10:00 – 10:15: Tumor treating fields may weaken glioblastoma network connectivity, with implications for malignancy (Miriam Ratliff, Dr. med Dipl. Biol., University Medical Centre Mannheim)

10:15 – 10:45 am

Break (Location: Salon Foyer)

10:45 – 11:45 am

Translating Innovation: Academic and Entrepreneurial Synergy in Cancer Research

(Location: Salon I & II)

• Keith T. Flaherty, MD, FAACR, AACR President, Massachusetts General Hospital

11:45 am – 1:15 pm

Lunch and Learn Session: Communication and Engagement Skills (Location: Salon I, II, & III)

1. Communicating Your Science Effectively (E. John Wherry III, PhD, University of Pennsylvania)
2. Building Connections: Importance of a Strong Network (Ashani T. Weeraratna, PhD, John Hopkins University)
3. Funding Challenges and Solutions (Jon Retzlaff, Chief Policy Officer, AACR)

1:15 – 2:00 pm

Fireside Chat with Robert A. Winn, MD, FAACR, Fox Chase Cancer Center (Location: Salon I & II)

2:00 – 2:30 pm

Break (Location: Salon Foyer)

2:30 – 3:30 pm

Grantee Presentations Session II: Harnessing Immunity for Cancer Therapy (Location: Salon I & II)
15 minutes each (10-minute presentation followed by 5-minute Q&A)

2:30 – 2:45: The protein kinase TNIK sustains hybrid EMT and immune evasion in lung squamous cell carcinoma: opportunities for therapeutic intervention (Pedro Torres-Ayuso, PhD, Temple University)

2:45 – 3:00: Hyperactivated dendritic cells suppress regulatory T cell function to engender anti-tumor immune responses against hepatocellular carcinoma (Longyue Lily Cao, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital)

3:00 – 3:15: MICA-targeted therapies promote durable antitumor immunity and support antibody-based therapeutic strategies in triple-negative breast cancer (Mercedes Fuertes, PhD, Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine)

3:15 – 3:30: Venetoclax enhances radiation-induced anticancer immunity in breast cancer (Emma MCM Guilbaud, PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center)

3:30 – 4:30 pm

AI Perspectives: Exploring AI’s Potential Impact on Basic and Clinical Science (Location: Salon I & II)

• Ravi B. Parikh, MD, MPP, Emory University
• Peter K. Sorger, PhD, Harvard University

4:30 – 4:45pm

Group Picture of All Grantee Summit Attendees

5:00 – 8:00pm

Poster Session and Reception (Location: Salon III)

• John Zhang, PhD, AACR, Vice President, Research and Grants Administration
• Additional Speakers: TBD

7:45 – 8:45 am

Breakfast (Location: Salon III)

8:45 – 9:45 am

Grantee Presentations Session III: Targeting Cancer Dependencies to Overcome Resistance (Location: Salon I & II)
15 minutes each (10-minute presentation followed by 5-minute Q&A)

8:45 – 9:00: Itaconate functions as an oncometabolite in lethal ZFTA-RELA fusion-driven ependymomas (Siva Kumar Natarajan, PhD, University of Michigan)

9:00 – 9:15: Double ESR1 mutations in cis alter oncogenicity and therapeutic sensitivity (Utthara Nayar, PhD Johns Hopkins University)

9:15 – 9:30: Synergistic targeting of IDH-mutant gliomas with vorasidenib and TTFields in NanoGlio (Zhaohui Wang, PhD, Terasaki Institute)

9:30 – 9:45: Tumor treating fields suppress tumor growth and improve neurologic outcomes in preclinical models of spinal metastasis: a translational strategy for radiation-refractory disease (Christopher A. Alvarez-Breckenridge, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)

9:45 – 10:45 am

Panel Session: A Multifaceted Dialogue on Drug Development (Location: Salon I & II)

• Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, AACR Past President, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
• William Pao, MD, PhD, Revelio Therapeutics

10:45 – 11:15 am

Break (Location: Salon Foyer)

11:15 – 12:00 pm

Keynote Address (Location: Salon I & II)

David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR, AACR Past President, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

12:00 pm – 1:05 pm   

Lunch with Round Table Discussions (Location: Salon III)

1. Career Inflection Points: Strategic Pivots and Decision (Moderator: William Pao, MD, PhD)
2. From First Grants to Long-Term Funding: Building a Sustainable Research Portfolio (Moderator: Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, AACR Past President, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre)
3. Making Collaborations Work: Forming, Managing, and Sustaining Research Partnership (Moderator: Peter K. Sorger, PhD, Harvard University)
4. Recruiting, Managing, and Mentoring Students and Staff (Moderator: Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
5. Leading Effective Research Teams: Lab Structure, Culture, and Performance (Moderator: Edna Cukierman, PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center)
6. Mentorship and Advisory Networks: How Relationships Shape Scientific Careers (Moderator: E. John Wherry III, PhD, University of Pennsylvania)
7. Prioritization and Delegation: Managing Time and Focus (Moderator: TBD)

1:05 – 2:05 pm

Grantee Presentations Session IV: Advancing Patient-Centered Cancer Care (Location: Salon I & II)
15 minutes each (10-minute presentation followed by 5-minute Q&A)

1:05 – 1:20: Cancer patient experiences communicating positive genetic testing results to family members: a comparison of African American and White patient perspectives (Kristen Whitaker, MD, MedStar Health Research Institute)

1:20 – 1:35: An AI-based equitable virtual biopsy pipeline for ovarian cancer diagnosis on ultrasound images (Heather Whitney, PhD, The University of Chicago)

1:35 – 1:50: Design of a 6-month web-based lifestyle program to improve weight loss trajectories for rural breast and endometrial cancer survivors (Xiaochen Zhang, PhD, The Ohio State University)

1:50 – 2:05: A sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) of Tai Chi, alpha-lipoic acid, and acupressure for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in cancer survivors (Kuang-Yi Wen, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University)

2:05 – 2:35 pm

Break (Location: Salon Foyer)

2:35 – 2:55 pm

Poster Session Winner Presentations (Location: Salon I & II)

2:55 – 3:05 pm

Announcement of Oral Presentation Winners (Location: Salon I & II)

3:05 – 3:20 pm

Summary and Closing Remarks (Location: Salon I & II)