CDI Second Annual AIRS Symposium: Immune, Cancer Insights of the Future

World leaders in cancer immune cell therapy and experts in T cell immunology convened at the second annual Applied Immunological Research Symposium, held at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) on May 22.

The gathering was a testament to the CDI’s dedication to fostering breakthroughs and delivering cutting-edge cancer immunotherapies to patients.

More than 100 researchers at the forefront of the field attended the event, organized by the CDI’s Institute for Immunologic Intervention (3i). It featured presentations from leading immunologists and physician-scientists from Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center and the National Cancer Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health. The event was sponsored by Kite-Gilead, Torque Foundation, ThermoFisher Scientific, Miltenyi Biotec, Integra, StemCell Technologies, Anwita Biosciences and Corning.

The keynote was given by Michel Sadelain, M.D., Ph.D., a globally-renowned pioneer of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) immunotherapy, whose contributions have earned him numerous awards including the Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences and the Canada Gardner International Award. Dr. Sadelain is currently the inaugural director of the Columbia Initiative in Cell Engineering and Therapy (CICET) and the director of the Medical Center’s Cancer Cell Therapy Initiative. In his talk, "Antigen sensitivity, logic gating and persistence of CAR T cells," Dr. Sadelain illuminated new frontiers in CAR T-cell engineering. He specifically focused on cutting-edge designs aimed at boosting clinical response rates, extending the duration of responses, and mitigating toxicity.

Talks were also delivered by:

• Hai-Hui “Howard” Xue, Ph.D., member of the CDI, who spoke about his work with T cell exhaustion;
• Tuoqi Wu, Ph.D., investigator at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in a talk entitled “Transcriptional regulation of long-term T cell immunity”;
• Cassian Yee, M.D., professor in the department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, with a talk entitled “T Cell Therapy: a Conclave is Key”;
• Saar Gill, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, in “CAR macrophages for solid tumors”;
• Naomi Taylor, M.D., Ph.D., senior investigator, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, in a presentation called “Hinges and fuzzy logic: New tools for achieving CAR/TCR immunotherapeutic precision.”

The poster session offered the opportunity for discussing original research from the CDI and various collaborating institutions, showcasing the work of early-career scientists. The posters covered a range of topics in immunology and were well-received by attendees, fostering one-on-one discussions and potential collaborations.

“We have attracted world-class scientists to our institution whose work elegantly complements one another,” said David Perlin, Ph.D., the chief scientific officer and executive vice president of the CDI. "We have established a translational hub to facilitate the exchange of groundbreaking science in applied immunology, and we take pride in advancing medicine through gatherings like this one."