AACR Annual Meeting 2026

Selected Sessions & Presentations

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Friday, April 17

4:01 PM – 4:21 PM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

MW01 – AI in Cancer Care: Practical Applications Transforming Oncology

From sequencing to treatment: The role of AI in precision oncology

Michael F. Berger | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

5:45 PM – 6:05 PM

Ballroom 20 AB – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED07 – Mechanisms of Resistance to Targeted and IO Therapies and Strategies for Overcoming Resistance

Exploiting hippo-YAP/TEAD inhibition to overcome resistance to targeted and immune therapies

J. Silvio Gutkind | UCSD Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA

5:45 PM – 6:05 PM

Room 31 – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED26 – When Tumors Act Like Viruses: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Frontiers

Immune responses to viral mimicry in the TME

Nicolas Vabret | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

Saturday, April 18

8:01 AM – 8:21 AM

Ballroom 20 AB – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED46 – Advances in Pre-Metastatic Niche Biology: From Pre-Clinical Insights to Clinical Opportunities

Co-evolution of tumor and their supportive niches during breast cancer progression and metastasis

Yibin Kang | Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

10:00 AM – 10:05 AM

Ballroom 20 AB – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED23 – Tumor Immunology For Non Immunologists: Back to Basics

Introduction by Chairperson

Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

10:05 AM – 10:25 AM

Ballroom 20 AB – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED23 – Tumor Immunology For Non Immunologists: Back to Basics

Tumor-induced immune suppression and its targeting with checkpoint blockade

Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

10:55 AM – 11:15 AM

Ballroom 20 AB – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED23 – Tumor Immunology For Non Immunologists: Back to Basics

Immunology in clinical practice: responses, biomarkers, toxicities

Dmitriy Zamarin | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

12:30 PM – 12:37 PM

Room 1 – Upper Level – Convention Center

DC01 – Where Expedited Pathways, Innovation, Safety, and Patient Access Collide: A KRAS Case Study

Co-Moderator

Elizabeth M. Jaffee | Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD

12:30 PM – 12:35 PM

Ballroom 6 B – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED42 – Cancer Metabolism as a Therapeutic Frontier

Introduction by Chairperson

Ping-Chih Ho | Ludwig Cancer Research, Lausanne, Switzerland

12:30 PM – 12:31 PM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED51 – Fibroblast Dynamics: How Heterogeneity Shapes the Tumor Microenvironment

Introduction by Chairperson

Stephanie Dougan | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA

12:31 PM – 12:51 PM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED51 – Fibroblast Dynamics: How Heterogeneity Shapes the Tumor Microenvironment

Fibroblasts and anti-tumor immunity

Stephanie Dougan | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA

1:00 PM – 1:20 PM

Ballroom 6 B – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED42 – Cancer Metabolism as a Therapeutic Frontier

It's so exhausted!

Ping-Chih Ho | Ludwig Cancer Research, Lausanne, Switzerland

1:30 PM – 1:50 PM

Ballroom 6 B – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED42 – Cancer Metabolism as a Therapeutic Frontier

Metabolic checkpoints in tumor macrophages for cancer immunotherapy

Stanley Ching-Cheng Huang | The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH

3:30 PM – 3:50 PM

Room 33 – Upper Level – Convention Center

ED30 – Macrophages as Therapeutic Gatekeepers: From Biology to Clinical Application

The macrophage makeover: Tailoring innate immunity for cancer therapy

Thomas Urban Marron | The Tisch Cancer Institute, New York, NY

Sunday, April 19

10:07 AM – 10:34 AM

Hall H – Ground Level – Convention Center

PL02 – Opening Plenary: Precision, Partnership, Purpose: Advancing Cancer Science to Save Lives Globally

The evolution of CAR T therapy for solid malignancies

Carl H. June | University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

1:00 PM – 1:05 PM

Room 15 – Mezzanine Level – Convention Center

SY04 – Neural-Immune Crosstalk in Cancer

Introduction by Chairperson

Tak W. Mak | UHN Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada

1:00 PM – 1:05 PM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY14 – Mechanisms of Immune Evasion and Immune Dysregulation

Introduction by Chairperson

E. John Wherry | University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

1:00 PM – 1:05 PM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY17 – Synthetic Biology Approaches to Cancer and Immune Cell Therapy

Introduction by Chairperson

Michel Sadelain | Columbia University, New York, NY

1:05 PM – 1:25 PM

Room 15 – Mezzanine Level – Convention Center

SY04 – Neural-Immune Crosstalk in Cancer

Cholinergic lymphocytes revitalize the tumor immune microenvironment: TIME to ChAT

Tak W. Mak | UHN Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada

1:05 PM – 1:20 PM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY14 – Mechanisms of Immune Evasion and Immune Dysregulation

Metabolic reprogramming and engineering of cancer immunity

Hongbo Chi | St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

1:05 PM – 1:25 PM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY17 – Synthetic Biology Approaches to Cancer and Immune Cell Therapy

Optimizing the antigen sensitivity and functional persistence of CAR T cells

Michel Sadelain | Columbia University, New York, NY

1:05 PM – 1:25 PM

Room 16 – Mezzanine Level – Convention Center

SY31 – Therapy-Induced Mutagenesis in Normal Tissues of Children: A Link to Late Effects?

Therapy-related mutagenesis in long-term survivors of childhood cancer

Jinghui Zhang | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

1:05 PM – 1:25 PM

Room 14 – Mezzanine Level – Convention Center

SY42 – The Necrotic Tumor Microenvironment as an Instigator of Metastatic Aggression and Immuno-evasion

From guardians to foes: Cancer-induced host remodeling and neutrophil plasticity drive tumor necrosis and metastasis

Jose M Adrover | The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom

1:30 PM – 1:50 PM

Room 28 – Upper Level – Convention Center

AHM01 – Epigenetics in Hematologic Malignancies

Epigenetic dependencies in myeloid malignancies

Ross L. Levine | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

1:30 PM – 1:50 PM

Room 11 – Upper Level – Convention Center

AOS01 – Advances in Bladder Cancer Research and Treatment: Pathways to Precision Medicine

Treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Matthew Galsky | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Spotlight Theater A – Sails Pavilion – Conv Ctr

ESP1A – Advances in biomodal’s Duet Multiomics Portfolio for 5- and 6-base Sequencing: Enabling Wholistic Understanding of Genetics and Epigenetics

Advances in biomodal’s duet multiomics portfolio for 5- and 6-base sequencing: enabling wholistic understanding of genetics and epigenetics

Jennifer Stone | biomodal, Cambridge, United Kingdom

1:55 PM – 2:15 PM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY17 – Synthetic Biology Approaches to Cancer and Immune Cell Therapy

Synthetic biology: A means to rewire T cells for success in the TME

Philip D. Greenberg | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA

2:00 PM – 2:20 PM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY14 – Mechanisms of Immune Evasion and Immune Dysregulation

Immunopharmacology of anti-PD-1 and reinvigoration of exhausted CD8 T cells

E. John Wherry | University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

Ballroom 6 B – Upper Level – Convention Center

LE03 – AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Immune checkpoint blockade in cancer immunotherapy: Mechanistic insights provide new therapeutic opportunities

James P. Allison | UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

3:05 PM – 3:10 PM

Room 1 – Upper Level – Convention Center

DC11 – Researcher Town Hall: Navigating Policy Challenges and Securing Funding

Panelist

E. John Wherry | University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Monday, April 20

9:15 AM – 10:15 AM

AACR Publications Booth 3537 – Hall D

MG05 – Meet the Editors-in-Chief of Blood Cancer Discovery

Editor-In-Chief Of Blood Cancer Discovery

Ross L. Levine | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

10:15 AM – 10:20 AM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY15 – Immunometabolism in Cancer

Introduction by Chairperson

Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh

10:17 AM – 10:32 AM

Room 17 – Mezzanine Level – Convention Center

AS02 – Cancer Cachexia: Tumor Signals, Systemic Impact, and Translational Opportunities

Pancreatic Cancer Cachexia: Rethink The Biology, Rebuild The Body

Min Li | Stephenson Cancer Center

10:45 AM – 11:05 AM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY15 – Immunometabolism in Cancer

Mitochondrial Reprogramming In T Cell Exhaustion

Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh

12:35 PM – 12:55 PM

Room 31 – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY35 – Programmed Cell Death: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities

Boosting The Efficacy Of BH3 Mimetic Drugs For Cancer Therapy

Andreas Strasser | The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

1:00 PM – 1:20 PM

Room 29 – Upper Level – Convention Center

AOS03 – Microbiota-Host Interactions in Colorectal Cancer Development and Therapy

Modulating The Gut Microbiome To Enhance Anti-Tumor Immunity In Colorectal Cancer

Wendy Sarah Garrett | Harvard School of Public Health

2:32 PM – 3:01 PM

Room 26 – Upper Level – Convention Center

MG13 – Meet the Research Grant Reviewers

Panelist

Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh

4:15 PM – 5:00 PM

Ballroom 6 A – Upper Level – Convention Center

LE09 – AACR Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research

How science turned metastatic melanoma from an untreatable cancer to a curable cancer

Antoni Ribas | UCLA – University of California Los Angeles, Santa Monica, CA

5:12 PM – 5:32 PM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SS02 – AACR-ASCO Joint Session

CAR T cells for pediatric brain tumors

Crystal L. Mackall | Stanford Hospital

Tuesday, April 21

9:15 AM – 10:15 AM

AACR Publications Booth 3537 – Hall D

MG08 – Meet the New Editors-in-Chief of Cancer Immunology Research: Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, and Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD

Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Immunology Research

Elizabeth M. Jaffee | Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD

9:15 AM – 10:15 AM

AACR Publications Booth 3537 – Hall D

MG08 – Meet the New Editors-in-Chief of Cancer Immunology Research: Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, and Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD

Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Immunology Research

Antoni Ribas | UCLA – University of California Los Angeles, Santa Monica, CA

10:15 AM – 10:20 AM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY12 – Harnessing the Power of the Immune System: Turning Cold Tumors Hot

Introduction by Chairperson

Thomas Frank Gajewski | University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

10:20 AM – 10:40 AM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY12 – Harnessing the Power of the Immune System: Turning Cold Tumors Hot

Novel regulators of suppressive myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment.

Thomas Frank Gajewski | University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

11:10 AM – 11:30 AM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY12 – Harnessing the Power of the Immune System: Turning Cold Tumors Hot

Context dependence of myeloid-mediated immunosuppression

Lawrence Fong | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA

11:10 AM – 11:30 AM

Room 14 – Mezzanine Level – Convention Center

SY23 – Mitochondrial Transfer Networks in Cancer Research

Powering T-Cell therapy through mitochondrial transfer

Luca Gattinoni | Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, Regensburg, Germany

12:30 PM – 12:35 PM

Room 33 – Upper Level – Convention Center

AOS08 – Advances in Melanoma Research and Treatment

Introduction by Chairperson

Antoni Ribas | University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

12:30 PM – 12:35 PM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY41 – Immune and Stromal Reprogramming Across the Tumor Micro-and Macroenvironment

Introduction by Chairperson

Neta Erez | Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

1:00 PM – 1:20 PM

Room 33 – Upper Level – Convention Center

AOS08 – Advances in Melanoma Research and Treatment

Advances in clinical science melanoma research

Georgina V. Long | University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

1:13 PM – 1:28 PM

Room 14 – Mezzanine Level – Convention Center

SY02 – Inflammaging and Cancer: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Opportunities

Overcoming aging-driven barriers to effective immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer

Edwin He | Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

1:15 PM – 1:35 PM

Room 15 – Mezzanine Level – Convention Center

SY32 – Beyond Genetics: Macroenvironmental and Microenvironmental Determinants of Cancer Risk, Disease Progression, and Treatment Response

Spatially organized immune hubs in human tumors

Karin Pelka | Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA

1:25 PM – 1:45 PM

Room 33 – Upper Level – Convention Center

AOS08 – Advances in Melanoma Research and Treatment

Advances in how to target resistant melanoma

Antoni Ribas | University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

1:25 PM – 1:45 PM

Room 30 – Upper Level – Convention Center

APS03 – Multi-kingdom Microbial Determinants of Cancer

The cancer mycobiome: truth, myth, and current data

Iliyan Iliev | Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY

1:25 PM – 1:45 PM

Room 28 – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY13 – Off-the-Shelf Cell Therapies for Cancer and Beyond

Allogeneic CAR T: Science at scale

David D. Chang | Allogene Therapeutics, Inc., South San Francisco, CA

1:25 PM – 1:45 PM

Ballroom 6 CF – Upper Level – Convention Center

SY41 – Immune and Stromal Reprogramming Across the Tumor Micro-and Macroenvironment

Stromal and immune plasticity shape the metastatic microenvironment

Neta Erez | Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

Room 30 – Upper Level – Convention Center

LE11 – AACR-Cancer Research Institute Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology

DC subsets: Why so much specialization?

Kenneth M. Murphy | Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO

Wednesday, April 22

10:41 AM – 11:01 AM

Room 28 – Upper Level – Convention Center

ADT08 – Optimizing Efficacy While Limiting Toxicity in Immunotherapy for Cancer Treatment

Uncovering the role of tissue-resident leukocytes in checkpoint-induced irAEs

Kristen E. Pauken | UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

10:45 AM – 11:05 AM

Ballroom 6 A – Upper Level – Convention Center

ADT04 – Advances in Minimal Residual Disease Detection via Circulating Tumor DNA

Innovative approaches to detect, characterize and address residual disease

Valsamo Anagnostou | Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

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Abstract #7570

Expanding Digital Access to Cancer Immunotherapy Trials

Abstract #6519

Temporal Trends in
Biomarker Utilization