Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
Immune Monitor
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October 2016 – In this Issue

Education | Society | Forward Fund | Science & Research
Membership | Publications

A Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

SITC’s 31st Annual Meeting & Associated Programs is just days away. I hope you will join us in National Harbor, MD, for what will undoubtedly be a week filled with spectacular science, significant clinical trial results, memorable presentations and plenty of opportunities for networking.

Please plan to attend the State of SITC: Membership Business meeting on Thursday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m. This year we will combine the Business Meeting with the Presidential Reception and will review election results, financials, membership levels and recent accomplishments. I am also looking forward to updating you on our new activities related to public policy and international affairs. A look to the future will round out an exciting day.

Throughout my past two years as President, SITC has realized some great successes – advancing the field of cancer immunotherapy and moving us closer to making “cure” a real possibility for an increasing number of patients with cancer. These include the expansion of the Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines; increasing the number of Advances in Cancer ImmunotherapyTM programs; positioning the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer as a major resource for the immune-oncology community; forging new and stronger relationships with patient advocacy groups, other societies, including ASCO, AACR, Commission on Cancer and many others; deepening our existing relationships with the FDA and NCI; and perhaps most importantly, increasing SITC membership by over 30%. I am grateful to SITC volunteers, leaders and staff for the countless number of hours they have devoted to our society to make these great strides.

During this unprecedented time, when all of the major stakeholders in cancer research have come together for the Cancer Moonshot initiative, SITC is pleased to play an important role in accelerating the pace of progress in the fight against cancer. Download the Report of the Cancer Moonshot Task Force here.

As I reflect back on my tenure as President, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as your President at this historic time in the development of tumor immunotherapy. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my colleagues who have served on the Board of Directors and as Chairs or Co-Chairs of our important committees. I also want to thank our industry supporters and the critical work of the Industry Council in bringing the community together to focus on helping our patients. I am also indebted to the SITC staff who go above and beyond to fulfill the mission of our society. I also want to welcome SITC’s incoming President, Lisa Butterfield, PhD, and congratulate our new Vice President (and President Elect) Mario Sznol, MD; as well as the new members of the SITC Board of Directors, Leisha Emens, MD, PhD; Kristen Hege, PhD and Charles Drake, MD, PhD. These newly elected members will continue to position SITC as a driving force behind the rapid advances in the field of cancer immunotherapy by uniting multidisciplinary experts through research and collaboration.

As a closing reminder, I encourage everyone to take full advantage of the science and networking opportunities at this year’s conference. I extend my gratitude to all those involved in the planning and organizing of SITC 2016 – renowned as a catalyst for future advances in the cancer immunotherapy field. For those who cannot attend the meeting, we will keep you up to date. Watch for email and website updates as well as posts on our social media platforms.

Best Regards,


Howard L. Kaufman, MD, FACS
SITC President

Education

Anticipating SITC’s 31st Annual Meeting & Associated Programs

Registration

Advance registration ends November 1, 2016. Register online to secure advance registration rates. Onsite registration for the SITC 31st Annual Meeting & Associated Programs is accepted, space permitting. Onsite registration fees will apply.

Programs

Browse all program information, including session and presentation titles, descriptions, faculty, regular and late-breaking abstract titles, exhibitors and more on the SITC 2016 meeting app or online.

Download the app to your mobile device by searching for SITC 2016 on your
device in:

Once downloaded, open the app and select "Create Account" to get started. Abstract titles and the full meeting schedule are available. Use the itinerary planner to set your schedule and maximize your time at SITC 2016.


Last Cancer Immunotherapy 101 in 2016

The last SITC Cancer Immunotherapy 101 program of the 2016 series will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2016 in Tampa, FL. Share registration information for this important program with oncologists, registered nurses, pharmacists and other cancer care team members in your community who do not currently use immunotherapy in their clinical practice.


Advances in Cancer Immunotherapyat Your Fingertips

Can’t make it to an Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy™ program or looking to refresh what you have already learned? SITC is pleased to offer an accompanying series of online CME-, CNE- and CPE-certified activities to access at your convenience.

Check out the best of ACI™ programming today to learn the foundations of cancer immunotherapy and how immunotherapy is being used in the treatment of several disease states. Learn about these topics from the experts in the field:


Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Immunotherapy: Advancing HopeTM

As we look to lung cancer awareness month in November, SITC continues to advance hope through an initiative designed to comprehensively educate patients, physicians and registered nurses in immunotherapy as a treatment option for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SITC has partnered with leading lung cancer experts and patient advocacy groups to create a short, patient-friendly video and companion CME- and CNE-certified activity entitled, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Immunotherapy: Advancing HopeTM.


Melanoma Immunotherapy Patient Guide Now Available

Based off the success of the general immunotherapy patient resource guide, SITC is pleased to present its first disease-specific immunotherapy guide for melanoma. Included in this easy to understand guide is a review of the fundamentals of immunotherapy through a relatable patient story, current immunotherapy treatments and clinical trials for patients and the entire cancer care team. Click here to download this exciting new guide.

Society

William E. Paul Memorial Symposium

This meeting will bring together many individuals who were part of the legacy of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunology. Many of these former trainees have met Bill's challenge of "[contributing] remarkably to human health," as he urged each of us to have the responsibility of "perfecting the world." This symposium will serve as a fitting remembrance of a remarkable career and we invite the worldwide immunology community to participate. Registration closes November 1, 2016.

Click here for details on the November 7, 2016 symposium honoring Dr. William Paul, leader of the NIH immunotherapy community.

Forward Fund

SITC’S Sparkathon Ignites Innovation!

SITC’s Sparkathon – Emerging Leaders, Igniting Innovation – is an exciting opportunity for early career professionals looking for ways to contribute to the larger priorities for the cancer immunotherapy field and the society as a whole. Through an application process, a group of 30 emerging leaders will explore the critical hurdles that have been challenging the cancer immunotherapy field for years.

Matching Donation Challenge

Making the Sparkathon even more thrilling is how it is funded. All donations
made to SITC’s Forward Fund will be doubled by an anonymous foundation, who has
challenged SITC to raise $300,000 over the next two years.

Now is the time to ignite the Sparkathon!

Consider making a pledge or contribution to the Forward Fund — make twice the impact on the future of cancer immunotherapy. Donate and you will be recognized at SITC 2016 with a special “I Lit the Spark” ribbon.

To make a pledge, please contact the SITC Executive Office at development@sitcancer.org or 414-271-2456.

As a 501 (c) (3) organization, donations made to SITC are tax deductible as a charitable contribution to the extent allowed by law.

Science & Research

Important Guidelines Coming in November

Two important guidelines have been accepted for publication in the November edition of the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC). The SITC "Consensus Statement on Tumor Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma" will be the second disease-specific treatment guideline to be published by SITC. This represents the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration between immunotherapy and genitourinary medicine experts from throughout the U.S., with input from patients and their advocates. The second guideline is a two-part publication from the first Working Group (WG1) of the SITC Biomarkers Task Force, which includes representatives from academia, clinical medicine, government and industry. Covering immunologic monitoring, assay standardization and biomarker development and validation, this report is the first to make evidence-based recommendations concerning the development, validation and regulation of biomarkers developed to predict response to cancer immunotherapy.

Publications

Meet-the-Editor Session at SITC 2016

Don’t miss your chance to meet editors from JITC at SITC 2016! Editors, including Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro J. Romero, will be at the JITC Booth #501 on November 12, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. to answer your questions about the society’s official open access, peer-reviewed journal.

Publish in JITC to showcase your work to readers in 140+ countries across the globe. SITC members can also take special advantage of waived article processing charges for papers accepted through 2016.

Read the articles in the October issue.

Membership

Move into the Cancer Immunotherapy Community with CONNECT!

Experience SITC’s innovative community-based website offering one location to interact, engage and learn. CONNECT is the home for the cancer immunotherapy community where you can network with colleagues, share ideas, answer questions and stay CONNECTed.

Start building your CONNECTions in Booth #301.

CONNECT-ED

SITC is also powering a CONNECT-ED community for live and online educational offerings with CME activities as part of the new website. This new adaptive online learning environment will become a learning portal and a collection of curated educational activities related to immunotherapy of cancer.


The Node

If you are attending SITC 2016, visit SITC’s Early Career Scientist Hub, The Node, specifically designed as a place for early career attendees to network, collaborate and relax. Located just inside the entrance to Prince George's Exhibition Hall AB, stop by The Node to meet other attendees – talk about the latest science, grab a quick snack, recharge your mobile devices and browse the SITC 2016 Job Board.

 Stop by Booth #101 during Exhibition Hall hours.

 
 

Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)
555 East Wells Street, Suite 1100 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202-3823 USA
Phone: +1 414 271 2456 | Email: info@sitcancer.org

© 2016 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer

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