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CRI at SITC 2026

Selected Sessions & Presentations

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting brings the cancer immunotherapy community together to share new discoveries and build connections. Explore talks and posters from CRI’s scientific community, learn about research presented by the CRI team, and celebrate Éric Vivier’s pioneering work on natural killer cells during the CRI William B. Coley Award Lecture.

Thursday, November 5

10:05 AM – 10:20 AM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Valley of the Sun Ballroom

Pre-Conference Program | New Agents in Development and Emerging Technologies | Session II: Immune Cell Engagers and Bispecifics

Introduction / History / Approved Drugs / Almost Approved – Overview Talk

Charles G. Drake | Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine

CRI SAC Member

11:30 AM – 11:50 AM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Valley of the Sun Ballroom

Pre-Conference Program | New Agents in Development and Emerging Technologies | Session II: Immune Cell Engagers and Bispecifics

Debate (Cell Therapy vs. Engagers)

Charles G. Drake | Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine, Spring House, PA, United States

CRI SAC Member

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Encanto AB

Pre-Conference Program | Early Career Scientist Meet-the-Expert Lunch | Table 12

Navigating Academia as Junior Faculty (as MD or PhD)

Marco Ruella | University of Pennsylvania

CRI Investigator

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Encanto AB

Pre-Conference Program | Early Career Scientist Meet-the-Expert Lunch | Table 16

Translational Research: Mice to Humans

Stefani Spranger | Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

2:45 PM – 2:55 PM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Encanto AB

Pre-Conference Program | Grant Writing Workshop | Session I – Grant Writing Essentials

Structuring the Necessary Framework for a Winning Grant

Niroshana Anandasabapathy | Weill Cornell Medicine

CRI Investigator

3:00 PM – 3:15 PM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Valley of the Sun Ballroom

Pre-Conference Program | New Agents in Development and Emerging Technologies | Session IV: Emerging Technologies – Incorporation into Clinical Trials

In Vivo and Solid Tumor CARs

Justin Eyquem | University of California, San Francisco

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR

3:05 PM – 3:15 PM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Encanto AB

Pre-Conference Program | Grant Writing Workshop | Session I – Grant Writing Essentials

K and F Awards: What Is Unique

Marco Ruella | University of Pennsylvania

CRI Investigator

3:15 PM – 3:25 PM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Encanto AB

Pre-Conference Program | Grant Writing Workshop | Session I – Grant Writing Essentials

Establishing and Retaining Funding with Industry Partners

Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR

4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Sheraton – 2nd Level – Encanto AB

Pre-Conference Program | Grant Writing Workshop | Session II – Breakout Sessions

Breakout Table: Interfacing with Industry (Biotech Grants)

Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR

Friday, November 6

10:24 AM – 10:44 AM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Keynote / Plenary | Session 103: Thomas Waldmann Memorial Plenary Session: Cancer Vaccines, Current and Future

Learning from Checkpoint Blockade: Prioritizing Neoantigens and Shared Tumor Antigens for Cancer Vaccines

Maha Ayyoub | University of Toulouse

CRI Investigator

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (5:30 PM – 7:00 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 315 | Early Career Investigator Abstract Travel Award

Interleukin 7, 12 and 18 Cooperate to Induce Human CD26high CD4 T Cells for Potent Adoptive Cancer Immunotherapy

Ayana Ruffin | Emory University

CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (5:30 PM – 7:00 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 885 | Regular

Elucidating the Unique Immune MOA Potential of Fetra-V (Fetrastobart Vedotin; PDL1V), a PD-L1 Directed Vedotin ADC

Brian O'Connor | Pfizer

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

2:10 PM – 2:30 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 106a: Combination Therapies Involving Cell Therapy

Cell Therapy with Booster Molecules

Mohammad Rashidian | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR

2:10 PM – 2:30 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 106d: Mechanisms of irAEs

Translational/Biomarker-Focused Perspective

Mark S. Anderson | University of California, San Francisco

CRI Coley Award Recipient (2024)

4:00 PM – 4:20 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 107a: Immuno-oncology at Immune-privileged Sites

The Brain Is Not Immune to Immunity

Hideho Okada | University of California, San Francisco

CRI Investigator

4:30 PM – 4:45 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 107d: Cytokine Engineering and Clinical Translation

mRNA Based Delivery of Cytokines

Michael J. Mitchell | University of Pennsylvania

CRI Investigator

4:55 PM – 5:15 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 107b: Biotech Session: The Next Generation of Off-the-Shelf IO

In Vivo – Ex Vivo Debate

Michael Birnbaum | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

CRI Investigator

5:00 PM – 5:10 PM

Session 107d: Cytokine Engineering and Clinical Translation
PCC-West Building-300 Level-301BC

Oral | Abstract 823 | Regular

Durable, Interferon-Associated Systemic Responses with STX-001, an LNP-Encapsulated IL-12-Expressing Self-Replicating mRNA, Used as Monotherapy in Advanced Solid Tumors in a Phase I/II Study

Georgina Long | Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney

CRI Investigator

Saturday, November 7

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Keynote / Plenary | Session 201: Keynote Address

T Cell Recognition of Human Cancer: 'Cracking the Code'

Ton Schumacher | Netherlands Cancer Institute

CRI SAC Member

11:15 AM – 11:30 AM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Regular Session | Session 203: Hot Topic Symposium: External Factors Contributing to Immunotherapy Response

Postprandial Metabolism and Its Potential to Enhance Immunotherapy Responses

Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR

11:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Regular Session | Session 203: Hot Topic Symposium: External Factors Contributing to Immunotherapy Response

Co-Medications and Their Effects on Clinical Outcomes in Cancer Immunotherapies

Marcel R. M. van den Brink | City of Hope

CRI SAC Member

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Session 107b: Biotech Session: The Next Generation of Off-the-Shelf IO

Poster | Abstract 176 | Regular

Bi-Paratopic B7-H3-CAR-T Cells to Treat Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Giulia Escobar | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 360 | Regular

Rewiring T Cell Activation for Improved Allo CAR-T Therapy

Nicholas Gascoigne | Augusta University

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 472 | Regular

Clinical Features of Long-Term Survivors Treated with Next-Generation Anti–CTLA-4 (Botensilimab) plus Anti–PD-1 (Balstilimab) in Refractory Microsatellite-Stable Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Thomas Marron | Mount Sinai Hospital

CRI Investigator

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 508 | Regular

A Phase 1b Dose Escalation Study of STC-15, a METTL3 Inhibitor, in Combination with Toripalimab, an Anti-PD-1 Antibody, in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

Kyriakos Papadopoulos | START San Antonio

CRI Investigator

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 602 | Regular

Preclinical Evaluation of JNJ-9401, a PSMA x CD28 Costimulatory T Cell Engager (TCE) for Combination with CD3-Targeted TCEs in Prostate Cancer

Charles Drake | Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine

CRI SAC Member

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 782 | Regular

LRP1 Is a Master Regulator of T-Cell Activation Linking Lipid Metabolism, Immune Synapse Formation, and Anti-Tumor Immunity

Qing Ma | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 828 | Regular

Oncolytic Adenoviruses Induce Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in Brain Tumors to Promote Durable Antitumor Immunity

Hong Jiang | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 914 | Regular

Dual-Antigen Targeting via a PMPC-Engineered Bispecific ADC Overcomes Tumor Heterogeneity and Enhances Anti-Tumor Efficacy in Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Masakazu Kamata | University of Alabama at Birmingham

CRI Investigator

Lunch (12:15 PM – 1:45 PM)

Poster Reception (6:40 PM – 8:10 PM)

Phoenix Convention Center-North Building-Lower Level-Exhibition Halls 4-5

Poster | Abstract 1146 | Regular

Lymph Nodes Impose Selective Pressures on Metastasizing Melanomas Shaping Convergent Adaptation and Immune Exclusion

Tara Muijlwijk | NYU Langone Health

CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

12:30 PM – 12:38 PM

Session 204a: Rapid Oral – Basic 2
PCC-West Building- 300 Level-301A

Oral | Abstract 139 | Regular

Single-Assay Mapping of Antibody Drug Conjugate Target Co-Expression and Immune Contexture in Pan-Cancer Tissue Microarrays with Multiplex Immunofluorescence

Alexandra Bartlett | Earle A. Chiles Research Institute

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

1:45 PM – 1:59 PM

Session 106e: Oral Abstract Session 1
PCC-West Building-300 Level-301D

Oral | Abstract 79 | Regular

Premalignant Oral Dysplasias That Progress to Cancer Are Distinguished by Spatially Organized T Cell Responses

Jingya Qiu | Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology

CRI Immuno-Informatics Postdoctoral Fellow

3:30 PM – 3:50 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 206a: New Avenues in Myeloid Cells

Leveraging Single-Cell Technologies to Engineer the Immune System

Ido Amit | Weizmann Institute of Science

CRI Investigator

3:30 PM – 3:45 PM

Session 206e: Oral Abstract Session 3
PCC – West Building – 300 Level – 301D

Oral | Abstract 331 | Regular

Clinical and Translational Evaluation of Lifileucel in Patients with Metastatic Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma and Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma

Lauren Banks | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC)

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

3:50 PM – 4:10 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 206d: Novel Paradigms for Effectively Combining Immunotherapies with Radiopharmaceuticals or Radiation Therapy

Biomarkers for the Combination of Radiotherapy and Immune Checkpoint Blockers

Lawrence Fong | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

CRI Investigator

3:55 PM – 4:15 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 206b: IO in Low Mutation Burden Cancers

From the Clinic to the Lab: Investigating Mechanisms of Response and Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Therapy

Padmanee Sharma | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

CRI SAC Member

4:31 PM – 4:38 PM

Session 206d: Novel Paradigms for Effectively Combining Immunotherapies with Radiopharmaceuticals or Radiation Therapy
PCC-West Building-300 Level-301BC

Oral | Abstract 523 | Regular

Lymphatic‑Sparing Neoadjuvant SABR and Pembrolizumab (Neo-ImmunoSABR) in HPV‑Negative HNSCC: Results from a Phase II Multi-Center Trial with Immune Correlates

Alexandra Bartlett | Earle A. Chiles Research Institute

Former CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow

5:20 PM – 5:40 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 207c: Hot and Cold Tumors

What Is Meant by Hot or Cold Tumors? How Can We Modify Them?

Antoni Ribas | University of California, Los Angeles

CRI SAC Member

5:25 PM – 5:40 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 207d: Cellular Therapies

Genetic, Structural, Chemical and In Situ Engineering of Cell Therapy (SC)

Sidi Chen | Yale University School of Medicine

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR

5:40 PM – 6:00 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 207c: Hot and Cold Tumors

Identifying Determinants of Hot and Cold Tumors by AI-Assisted Perturb-Map

Brian Brown | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

CRI Investigator

5:55 PM – 6:10 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 207d: Cellular Therapies

Ex Vivo and In Vivo Genome Editing to Reprogram T Cell Function

Justin Eyquem | University of California, San Francisco

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR

6:00 PM – 6:20 PM

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

Concurrent Session | Session 207c: Hot and Cold Tumors

Hot and Cold Tumor Debate

Antoni Ribas | University of California, Los Angeles

CRI SAC Member

Brian Brown | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

CRI Investigator

Jennifer L. Guerriero | Brigham and Women's Hospital

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR

Sunday, November 8

8:20 AM – 8:35 AM

Session 301: Presidential Session
PCC-North Building-300 Level-Hall A

Oral | Abstract 396 | Presidential Travel Award

Slit2–Robo1/2 Signaling Orchestrates a Lymphovascular–Myeloid Axis That Limits T Cell Priming and Drives Immunotherapy Resistance

Luiz Henrique Medeiros Geraldo | NYU Langone Health

CRI IGNITE Fellow

9:55 AM – 10:30 AM

Phoenix Convention Center – North Building, 300 Level, Hall A

Keynote / Plenary | Session 302: CRI William B. Coley Award Lecture | Role: Speaker | Moderator: Alicia Y. Zhou, PhD

Harnessing NK Cells in Cancer Therapies

Eric Vivier | Marseille Medical School and Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy

CRI Coley Award Recipient (2026)