Program Purpose

November 1-2, 2011
Masur Auditorium on the NIH Campus
Building 10, Clinical Center
Bethesda, MD

The Summit on Cell Therapy for Cancer included dynamic discussions and lectures by leaders in the field to provide an in-depth review of the state-of the art of cell therapy as a cancer immunotherapy. The 1½ day program included presentations on the latest research on induced pluripotent stem cells, reprogramming immune cells and translational considerations, various cell therapy modalities, regulatory considerations, methods for T cell expansion, biomarkers, adoptive immune therapies for melanoma, persistence of transferred cells, differentiation of human and mouse immune stem cells, and clinical trials that will impact cell therapies from the perspective of the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN).

Intended Audience
The target audience for this program was basic scientists and clinical/translational investigators from government and academic research institutions, industry and regulatory agencies. The audience included investigators, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students involved in research in cell therapy and cancer immunotherapy.

Program Goals

• Review current research on pluripotent stem cells and reprogramming immune cells with implications for clinical translation
• Summarize recent results with cell therapies as a cancer immunotherapy using various cell types and modalities, with considerations on cellular phenotypes associated with long-term persistence
• Examine regulatory considerations for cell therapies for cancer
• Explore the latest methods for expanding T cells and the use of biomarkers to evaluate T cell therapies
• Summarize clinical trials from the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN) that will impact cell therapies

Expected Learner Outcomes
Upon completion of this meeting, participants will be able to:

• Summarize recent research on pluripotent stem cells and reprogramming immune cells and describe translational implications for cancer treatment
• Describe benefits and limitations of multiple modalities of cell therapy for various cancers
• Understand key regulatory issues for cell therapies as cancer immunotherapy
• Evaluate and incorporate new techniques for expanding T cells and monitoring T cell therapies with biomarkers
• Understand impact of Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN) clinical trials on cell therapies for cancer

The Summit on Cell Therapy for Cancer is a non-accredited continuing medical education event. No credits are offered for physician participation in this educational program.