Stand up to Cancer funded research to be presented March 30-April 3 at AACR Annual Meeting

Nobel Laureate James P. Allison, PhD, and other acclaimed researchers will be presenting their research funded by Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual (AACR) Meeting 2019 from March 29th to April 3rd, the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta.

On Sunday March 31, Crystal L. Mackall, MD, St. Baldrick’s Foundation-SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team co-leader, and E. John Wherry, PhD, co-leader of the SU2C- Lustgarten Fdn. CAR T Research Team and leader of the SU2C Gynecologic Cancers Convergence Research Team, will speak on Achieving Equitable Patient Care through Precision and Convergent Cancer Science in the Opening Plenary Session (9:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., GWCC Hall A). Mackall will speak about next-generation CAR T-cells that have been designed to overcome tumor resistance and Wherry will speak on the role of immune profiling and T-cell exhaustion in the response to immunotherapy in cancer.

Additionally, on Monday, April 1, SU2C presents two open sessions specifically devoted to report on the work of its Dream Teams, Research Teams and early-career investigators. These include Cancer Interception, seeking to find and attack cancer cells at their earliest stages of development when they are easiest to treat; Convergence, a collaboration of quantitative scientists and oncologists in integrated, cancer biology projects that can be rapidly applied to combination therapies; and SU2C Catalyst®, clinical trial projects designed to fast-track new treatments with support and compounds from pharmaceutical collaborators, studied in combinations.

SU2C-funded investigators will be available to comment on a host of topics, including immunotherapy, tumor organoids, precision therapies and cancer interception; as well as new approaches to pancreatic, pediatric, brain, colorectal, lung, ovarian and breast cancers.

SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee Vice-Chair Raymond N. DuBois, MD., PhD, Honored in Opening Ceremony

Sunday, March 31, 8 a.m., Opening Ceremony of the Annual Meeting, GWCC, Hall A

Monday, April 1, 7 a.m., DuBois will present his award lecture, GWCC, Room A305

Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD, Vice Chair of the SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, is the 2019 recipient of the AACR’s Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research. This award is given by AACR in honor of its dedicated leader, Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (h.c.), to an individual whose leadership and extraordinary achievements in cancer research or in support of cancer research have had a major impact on the field. One of many contributions of Dr. DuBois to SU2C’s efforts is his leadership of the SU2C Catalyst Program. This research program uses funding and materials from industries, including pharmaceutical industries, to fast-track the testing of new therapeutic combinations in patients.

Stand Up To Cancer research highlights by topic include:

IMMUNOTHERAPY

New weapons in the immunotherapy arsenal: next generation CAR T-cells and immune profiling

Achieving Equitable Patient Care through Precision and Convergent Cancer Science

Sunday, March 31; 9:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., GWCC Hall A

* Mackall and Wherry present

Emerging Immunotherapies for Childhood Cancer

Monday, April 1, 1-2:45 p.m., GWCC, Building C, Georgia Ballroom 3

* Mackall chairs conversation including:

o Uri Y. Tabori, MD, leader, SU2C Catalyst® Hypermutant Pediatric Cancers Research Team

o Robbie G. Majzner, young investigator, St. Baldrick’s Fdn. –SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team

LUNG CANCER

Making Science Count for Patients: From T-Cell Signaling to CTLA-4 Approval

Monday, April 1, 5-6:30 p.m., GWCC, Hall A

* James P. Allison, PhD, 2018 Nobel Laureate and leader, SU2C-Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Immunology Dream Team and Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, principal investigator, SU2C-CRI Immunology Dream Team / co-leader, SU2C- American Cancer Society Lung Cancer Dream Team will highlight their contributions to the successful translation of CTLA-4 blockade to the clinic.

PANCREATIC CANCER

With incidence of pancreatic cancer on the rise and little progress in diagnosing or treating the disease, SU2C, with Lustgarten Fdn. has created a network of grants and researchers to accelerate the translation of research findings into treatments, through innovative and flexible models. This research portfolio collaborates under the aegis of the new Lustgarten-SU2C strategic partnership, the Pancreatic Cancer Collective.

Organoids as Model Systems in Cancer

Saturday, March 30, 3:15-5:15 p.m., GWCC, Building A, Marcus Auditorium

* David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, member, SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee and director of research, Lustgarten Fdn. will also chair an educational session on Organoids as Model Systems in Cancer

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: Turning the heat up on pancreatic cancer: Lessons on overcoming a “cold” immunologic microenvironment

Sunday, March 31 5:30 – 6:15 p.m., GWCC, Building C, Georgia Ballroom 1

* Elizabeth M. Jaffee, M.D., outgoing AACR President and leader, SU2C-Lustgarten Fdn. Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team will give her presidential address on this subject

Advances in pancreatic cancer: Basic and Translational Findings

Monday, April 1, 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., GWCC, Building C, Georgia Ballroom 3

* Alec C. Kimmelman, MD, PhD, co-leader of the SU2C-Lustgarten Fdn. Pancreatic Interception Research Team, chairs this pancreatic cancer-focused session. Speakers include David A. Tuveson, MD,

PhD, f SU2C’s Scientific Advisory Committee and director of research, Lustgarten Fdn., Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, co-leader of the SU2C-Lustgarten Fdn Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team and leader of the Pancreatic Cancer Collective Immunotherapy Targeting Mutant KRAS Research Team.

Tumor Immune Microenvironment

Tuesday, April 2, 3-5 p.m., Room A411, GWCC

* Members of the SU2C-Lustgarten Fdn. Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team share results on the first clinical testing of a PDAC vaccine given with attenuated listeria monocytogenes expressing mesothelin boost alone or in combination with nivolumab.

Methods to Study Metabolism for Cancer Research

10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., Saturday, March 30, GWCC, Building C, Georgia Ballroom 1
* In this Methods Workshop chaired by 2016 SU2C Innovative Research Grant Recipient Matthew G. Vander Heiden, PhD, the importance of understanding cancer metabolism in developing novel treatment strategies is underscored. Dr. Vander Heiden speaks, as well as Joshua D. Rabinowitz, PhD, principal investigator, SU2C-Cancer Research UK-Lustgarten Fdn. Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team.

PEDIATRIC CANCER

Scientists funded by SU2C focused on pediatric cancers will present their latest findings.

Emerging Immunotherapies for Pediatric Cancer (see note above)

Monday, April 1, 1-2:45 p.m., GWCC, Building C, Georgia Ballroom 3

Pediatric Cancer Working Group Scientific Session: What’s New? Rising Stars in Pediatric Oncology

Tuesday, April 2, 1-3 p.m., GWCC, Room C302

* Kimberly Stegmaier, MD, 2009 SU2C Innovative Research Grant Recipient, chairs the session

o David M. Barrett, MD, 2017 SU2C Innovative Research Grant recipient, will share his work on T-cell variance in pediatric immunotherapy

o Kristopher R. Bosse, MD, a member of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation-SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team, will discuss the discovery and development of GPC2 as an immunotherapeutic target in neuroblastoma and other cancers

OVARIAN CANCER

Tumor Immune Microenvironment

Tuesday, April 2, 3-5 p.m., GWCC, Room A411

* Members of the SU2C-OCRA-NOCC Ovarian Cancer Dream Team will share their findings on the biomarkers of response to PARP inhibitor combined with anti-PD-1 antibody (specifically from the TOPACIO/Keynote-162 clinical trial).

SYMPOSIA AND SESSIONS

BRAIN TUMORS

Defining and Targeting Malignant Brain Tumor Hierarchies

Tuesday, April 2, 7-8 a.m., GWCC, Room A315

* In this Meet-the-Expert Session, Peter B. Dirks, MD, PhD, leader, SU2C Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team, will share his work on malignant brain tumor hierarchies and potential therapeutic strategies.

OPEN SESSIONS

SU2C will sponsor two open sessions specifically devoted to report on the work of its Dream Teams, Research Teams and Innovative Research Grants. These include Pancreatic Cancer, which accelerates the translation of research findings into treatments through innovative and flexible models; Pediatric SU2C Catalyst®, designed to fast-track drug delivery to pediatric cancer patients; Interception, to find and attack cancer cells at their earliest stages of development when they are easiest to treat; and Convergence, a collaboration of quantitative scientists and oncologists in integrated, cancer biology projects that can be rapidly applied to combination therapies.

Open Session 1: Prediction of Risk and Response:

Monday, April 1, 12:30 -2:30 p.m., GWCC, Room A311-312

* Marios Giannakis, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, young investigator, SU2C Colorectal Cancer Dream Team

Immunogenomic contexture of colorectal Cancer

* Sapna Syngal, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, principal investigator, SU2C-Lustgarten Fdn. Pancreatic Cancer Interception Dream Team

Improving access to genetic testing and cancer prevention strategies for families of pancreatic cancer patients: the GENERATE study

* Avrum Spira, MD, Boston University-Boston Medical Center (BU-BMC) Cancer Center, leader, SU2C-LUNGevity-American Lung Association Lung Cancer Interception Dream Team

Integrated biomarkers for lung cancer Interception and Early Detection

* Justin Gainor, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, young investigator, SU2C-American Cancer Society Lung Cancer Dream Team

Identifying Determinants of Response to PD-1 Inhibitors in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

* Melissa Skala, PhD, Morgridge Institute for Research, 2016 SU2C Innovative Research Grant

Single Cell Metabolic Response to Treatment in Pancreas Cancer Organoids

Open Session 2: Deploying the Whole Immunotherapy Arsenal

Monday, April 1, 3:00-5:00 p.m., GWCC, Room A311-312

* Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, co-leader, SU2C-Lustgarten Fdn. Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team

Provoking T cell Responses in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

* Scott J. Antonia, MD, PhD, Duke Cancer Institute, leader, SU2C Catalyst® Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Research Team

Combining TIL Adoptive Cell Therapy with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

* Julie R. Park, MD, Seattle Children’s Hospital, investigator, St. Baldrick’s Fdn. -SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team

Taking Next Generation CAR T Therapeutics to a Broad Spectrum of Pediatric Cancer

* Jean-Pierre Issa, MD, Coriell Institute for Medical Research, principal investigator, Van Andel Research Institute-SU2C Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team

Reversing Gene Silencing in Cancer by Targeting CDK9

* Peter Lee, MD, City of Hope Cancer Center, 2019 Phillip A. Sharp Award for Innovation in Collaboration

Ecology of the Tumor Microenvironment in Breast Cancer

ABSTRACTS (late-breaking abstracts embargoed at time of this release)

PEDIATRIC CANCER

BiTE-armored CARs overcome antigen escape in EGFRvIII-targeted therapy for glioblastoma

Monday, April 1, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Section 41

* These late-breaking results are presented by Marcela V. Maus, MD, PhD, 2017 SU2C Innovative Research Grant Recipient

Phase I CD22 CAR T-Cell trial updates

Monday, April 1, 3:35-3:50 p.m., GWCC, Room B408

* The late-breaking presentation by Crystal Mackall, MD, leader, St. Baldrick’s Fdn. – SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team

NOTABLE POSTER SESSIONS

Only work that is deemed to be of high scientific priority is selected for poster sessions at the AACR Annual Meeting. Many SU2C-funded investigators have been selected, a testament to the importance of their work. Some of them are as follows:

PEDIATRIC

Landscape of infiltrating immune repertoire in pediatric solid tumors

Tuesday, April 2, 8 a.m.-12 noon, Section 6

* Authors include members of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation-SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team and SU2C Catalyst® Hypermutant Pediatric Cancers Team. The senior author, Trevor Pugh, PhD, is an early career investigator with the SU2C Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team.

MELANOMA

Neoadjuvant combination targeted and immunotherapy for high-risk resectable stage III melanoma (NeoACTIVATE), NCT03554083

Tuesday, April 2, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Section 17

* This poster reports on a clinical trial that is supported in part by SU2C Catalyst, an initiative that explores novel uses of medicines, devices and/or diagnostics to accelerate research on cancer prevention, detection and treatment.

PANCREATIC

These three clinical trials are supported in part the SU2C-Cancer Research UK-Lustgarten Fdn. Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team.

Myc instructs and maintains pancreatic adenocarcinoma phenotype

Sunday, March 31, 1-5 p.m., Section 42

A Phase Ib/II trial of high dose ascorbic acid (AA) + paclitaxel protein bound (PP) + cisplatin (C) + gemcitabine (G) in patients (pts) with metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC)

Tuesday, April 2, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Section 17

A Phase II pilot trial of nivolumab (N) + albumin bound paclitaxel (AP) + paricalcitol (P) + cisplatin (C) + gemcitabine (G) (NAPPCG) in patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)

Tuesday, April 2, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Section 17

BREAST

Network modeling of drug resistance mechanisms and drug combinations in breast cancer

Sunday, March 31, 1-5 p.m., Section 30

* This is the work of the SU2C-National Science Fdn. Drug Combination Convergence Research Team.

COLORECTAL

Targeting glutamine addiction of PIK3CA mutant colorectal cancers: From preclinical models to clinical trials

Sunday, March 31, 1-5 p.m., Section 30

* This late-breaking presentation reports on a Phase II clinical trial, supported in part, by the SU2C Colorectal Cancer Dream Team.

LUNG CANCER

Altered immune response in the transcriptome of patients with lung cancer

Tuesday, April 2, 8 a.m. – 12 Noon, Section 31

* This work is funded in part by the SU2C-LUNGevity-American Lung Association Lung Cancer Interception Dream Team.

TUMOR ORGANOIDS

Additional poster sessions focused on tumor organoids are presented by SU2C-funded researchers

OVARIAN CANCER

Functional assessment of DNA damage repair defects and the anti-tumor immune response in high grade serous ovarian cancers using patient-derived organoids

Sunday, March 31, 1-5 p.m., Section 14

HEAD & NECK CANCERS

A novel high throughput platform for head & neck cancer organoids drug screening

Monday, April 1, 8-12 p.m., Section 8

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About Stand Up To Cancer

STAND UP TO CANCER (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. A division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), SU2C was established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders who utilize these communities’ resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease. As of March 2019, more than 1,600 scientists representing more than 180 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects.

The SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, led by Nobel laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., with support of the SU2C Science Strategy and Management Department and the American Association for Cancer Research, SU2C’s Scientific Partner, implements rigorous competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration and ensure collaboration across research programs.

Current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Kathleen Lobb, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, and Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin and the late Noreen Fraser are also co-founders. Sung Poblete, Ph.D., R.N., serves as SU2C’s president and CEO.