SITC Announces Keynote Speaker Dr. Ignacio Melero at the Immuno-oncology Drug Development Summit

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is excited to announce that Ignacio Melero, MD, PhD from the Clinica Universidad de Navarra Medical School and Cima will present his keynote on Cancer Immunotherapy: Tomorrow's Treatment Combinations Today at its Immuno-oncology Drug Development Summit.

MILWAUKEE, June 11, 2024 The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is excited to announce that Ignacio Melero, MD, PhD from the Clinica Universidad de Navarra Medical School and Cima will present his keynote on Cancer Immunotherapy: Tomorrow's Treatment Combinations Today at its Immuno-oncology Drug Development Summit.

The SITC Immuno-oncology Drug Development Summit will take place on Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2024, at the Revere Hotel Boston Common in Boston, MA. The Summit will educate and engage the entire immuno-oncology (IO) community on the next wave of IO therapeutics and ensure that active, innovative, new therapies are rapidly and appropriately moved into the clinical testing. This program will be a key forum for continuing exploration and discussion of best practices for modern IO drug development, including study design, regulatory pathways and emerging technologies.

"SITC is excited to gather leaders from diverse sectors of the drug development ecosystem, including biotech, pharma, academia, government, and finance, to discuss bringing new cancer therapeutics to patients in a more rapid fashion." - Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD, President of SITC

"SITC is excited to gather leaders from diverse sectors of the drug development ecosystem, including biotech, pharma, academia, government, and finance, to discuss bringing new cancer therapeutics to patients in a more rapid fashion," remarked Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD, President of SITC. "This summit closely aligns to SITC's goal of 100 approvals of new and novel IO agents in the next decade."

Day one of the IO Drug Development Summit begins with a primer on the drug development process, including sessions about preclinical models and IO clinical protocol development as well as clinical trial design, terminology and endpoints. FDA representatives will also address recent and ongoing FDA initiatives, such as Project Optimus and Project FrontRunner.

Day two will focus on strategies and hot topics in drug development. Provocative questions concerning the future of IO will be explored during our fireside chat with Priti Hegde, PhD, from Kite Pharma and Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, from Weill Cornell Medicine. Alexandra Snyder, MD, of Generate Biomedicines will moderate the fireside chat. Additional day two content includes investor perspectives on chimeric antigen receptors, AI and immune cell engagers.

"There has been tremendous success in the clinical advancement of cancer immunotherapy in the past decade, with 29 new IO drugs achieving FDA approval in this time," remarked Jon M. Wigginton, MD, Co-Organizer of the SITC Immuno-oncology Drug Development Summit. "This has required active collaboration between patients, academia, the pharma/biotech ecosystem, regulatory agencies and investors to realize this progress. This summit is intended to bring key stakeholders in the field together to educate and reflect on key lessons learned, and to actively discuss the opportunities and challenges for the field going forward."

Registration for the SITC Immuno-oncology Drug Development Summit is now open. View the entire schedule of expert speakers and session topics at the SITC IO Drug Development web page. Early registration closes Aug. 31. SITC Members receive a discount on registration rates.

About SITC
Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC is comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Through educational initiatives that foster scientific exchange and collaboration among leaders in the field, SITC aims to one day make the word "cure" a reality for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more about SITC, our educational offerings and other resources at sitcancer.org and follow us on X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.