Register today for the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 19-21, at Salamander Washington DC.
AACI Update | August 2025
Headlines
Support Opportunities Available for Annual Meeting, Impact Summit
AACI members are invited to support the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting by purchasing an ad in the digital meeting program. Support opportunities are also available for the Impact Summit, hosted in conjunction with the American Cancer Society and the Cancer Center Network. Both events will be held in Washington, DC, this October.
AACI Commends Republican Senators for Advocating for NIH Funding
AACI commends U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), for galvanizing the support of 13 Senate Republicans to advocate for the disbursement of appropriated funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). AACI also applauds Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tim Scott (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Todd Young (R-IN), who cosigned Senator Britt’s letter to the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
AACI Partners With Medlive on CAR T Video Series
A new Medlive continuing medical education video series, created in partnership with AACI and American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, will explore how CAR T-cell therapy is transforming patient outcomes in hematologic malignancies like non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma. The on-demand educational videos will help oncologists navigate this rapidly evolving treatment landscape through real-world strategies for community practice and referral pathways for optimal care delivery.
CAR T Vision Coalition Launches With Ambitious Goal
In the United States, despite the availability of CAR T-cell therapy to treat certain types of aggressive and advanced blood cancers, only about 2 out of 10 eligible patients are able to access CAR T therapy. The CAR T Vision Steering Committee was established with a goal of doubling the proportion of eligible patients treated with CAR T therapy by 2030.
AACI Welcomes PhRMA to Corporate Roundtable
AACI welcomes PhRMA to its Corporate Roundtable. PhRMA conducts advocacy for public policies that encourage the discovery of important, new medicines for patients by biopharmaceutical research companies. The AACI Corporate Roundtable provides a forum for AACI cancer centers to address topics of mutual interest with their pharmaceutical industry colleagues.
The James Hosts Clinical Trial Concept Workshop in Partnership With AACI
Photo credit: Randy Belice
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - The James hosted the in-person component of its inaugural "Clinical Trial Concept in the Oncology Landscape" course during the 17th Annual AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) Meeting in Rosemont, IL. The R25 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported course, also known as idea2Concept (i2C), trains early-career investigators in oncology to design a cancer clinical trial concept that is scientifically sound and feasible.
News from the Centers
Rathmell to Receive Alt Award
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
Jeffrey C. Rathmell, PhD, chair of UChicago's Ben May Department for Cancer Research and director of Ludwig Center, will receive the Cancer Research Institute's 2025 Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology.
Farma Named Chair in Surgical Oncology
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Jeffrey Farma, MD, FACS, chair and professor in the Department of Surgery, has been appointed to the Paul Grotzinger and Wilbur Raab Chair in Surgical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Stem Cell Transplant Program Recognized as Center of Excellence
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Health services company Optum has recognized Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as a Center of Excellence for the stem cell transplant program provided through its Transplant & Cellular Therapy Center. To be certified, a center undergoes a rigorous evaluation process, including assessing factors like clinical expertise, patient outcomes, and quality of care.
Brain Cancer Discoveries Earn Top Award
University of Virginia Cancer Center
The University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Harald Sontheimer, PhD, (pictured, left) and Stanford’s Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, (pictured, right) have received the 2025 International Prize in Translational Neuroscience from the Gertrud Reemtsma Foundation.
De Los Santos, Hugo Recognized by ASTRO
Siteman Cancer Center
Two WashU Medicine professors of radiation oncology affiliated with Siteman Cancer Center—Jennifer De Los Santos, MD, and Geoffrey Hugo, PhD—have been named fellows of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
Gift Launches $200 Million Initiative for the Weill Cancer Hub West
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
A $100 million matching grant from the Weill Family Foundation is bringing together UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Stanford Cancer Institute to launch the Weill Cancer Hub West – an innovative collaboration among some of the nation’s most talented scientists that will transform cancer research and care in the next decade.
$31 Million Pledged to Establish Center for Advanced Therapeutics and Innovation
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Foundation and Sigma Chi International Fraternity have announced a $31 million pledge to create the Sigma Chi Center for Advanced Therapeutics and Innovation at Huntsman Cancer Institute. Sigma Chi expects to meet its goal, the largest pledge in the history of men’s fraternity, within 5-7 years, more than doubling the funds it's raised through its 12-year partnership with Huntsman.
Seven High-Impact Research Projects Funded
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
New research focused on optimizing the immune system to fight cancer, developing AI-assisted treatment decisionmaking tools, and reducing side effects of immunotherapy are among the new research studies funded by Pelotonia at OSUCCC – James.
Beckerle Steps Down as CEO
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Mary Beckerle, PhD, is stepping down as CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). During her 20-year tenure, HCI became a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and completed two major expansions.
Team to Advance NCI Designation Goals
WVU Cancer Institute
WVU Cancer Institute Director Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, MD, has appointed WVU School of Medicine members Ashkan Emadi, MD, PhD; Reagan Curtis, PhD; and Stephenie Kennedy-Rea, EdD, and the cancer institute's Lori Hazlehurst, PhD, to strengthen and align an ecosystem of clinical care, education, and research.
Barnholtz-Sloan Joins Winship
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Jill S. Barnholtz-Sloan, PhD, has been named chief administrative officer and associate director for research administration at Winship Cancer Institute. She comes to Winship from the National Cancer Institute.
Coyne to Lead New START Center
Northwell Health Cancer Institute
Geraldine O’Sullivan Coyne, MD, PhD, MRCPI, has been named system head of Northwell and principal investigator for The START Center for Cancer Research, a new unit aimed at bringing early-stage clinical trials to patients in a community-based cancer center.
Thaker Named Chief of Gynecologic Oncology
Siteman Cancer Center
Premal H. Thaker, MD, MS, has been named chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at WashU Medicine, where she will oversee a continuum of research and clinical approaches at Siteman Cancer Center.
Thomas Appointed Associate Director for Basic Science
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Sufi Thomas, PhD, professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, has been named associate director for Basic Science at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, succeeding Shrikant Anant, PhD.
Scott Appointed Early Therapeutics Director
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
Aaron Scott, MD, has been appointed director of the Early Therapeutics Program at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. Dr. Scott currently serves as co-leader of the Clinical and Translational Oncology Program.
Henry Named Associate Director for COE
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center has named breast oncologist N. Lynn Henry, MD, PhD, as associate director for community outreach and engagement.
Bernstein Named Vice Chair of Oncological Sciences
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Emily Bernstein, PhD, an internationally recognized expert on cancer epigenetics, was named vice chair of the Department of Oncological Sciences in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Respiratory Viruses Can 'Wake Up' Breast Cancer Cells in Lungs
Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Utrecht University have found the first direct evidence that common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs, setting the stage for new metastatic tumors.
Researcher Publishes Three Studies Advancing CLL Treatment
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Three major studies led by Adam Kittai, MD, offer hope for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Dr. Kittai is an associate professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine and director of Mount Sinai’s CLL Program.
Prioritizing Head and Neck Cancer Nutrition Research, Therapies
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
People with head and neck cancer have complex nutritional needs and relatively high rates of malnutrition, but little research has been done on nutrition therapy for these patients. Researchers and clinicians at KU Medical Center and the Moffitt Cancer Center have published a call for nutrition-related head and neck cancer research, presenting a roadmap for strategies to improve care.
AI, Advanced Data Metrics Forging a New Era in Cancer Research
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
A new project by a national team of researchers analyzes the ways in which digitized health data, artificial intelligence models, and other recent technological advancements have changed cancer diagnosis and treatment. The work was co-led by Spyridon Bakas, PhD, of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Elana Fertig, PhD, of the University of Maryland.
Study Provides New Data on COVID Outcomes for Cancer Patients
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
A new prospective clinical trial with updated data on COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths among patients with cancer confirms the importance of vaccination and sheds light on which conditions put patients most at risk. Patients who had been vaccinated had a 50 percent reduction in risk of hospitalization, according to data from the National Cancer Institute COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study.
Common Medication for Lung Cancer Symptoms Found to Limit Effectiveness of Cancer Treatment
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Corticosteroids, commonly prescribed to alleviate cancer-related symptoms for non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immunotherapy, are the main reason certain immunotherapies may fail in treating the disease, according to new research by Keck Medicine of USC.
Microbiomes May Provide a Biomarker for Endometrial Cancer
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
A study by researchers from two Arizona universities discovered changes in the vaginal microbiome of patients with endometrial cancer and benign endometrial conditions. One key finding was that the protective lactobacillus dominance was reduced in women with endometrial cancer.
Scientists Advance Efforts to Create Virtual Cell Lab as Testing Ground for Future Research with Live Cells
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Using mathematical analysis of patterns of human and animal cell behavior, scientists say they have developed a computer program that mimics the behavior of such cells in any part of the body. Led by investigators at Indiana University, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Oregon Health & Science University, the new work was designed to advance ways of testing and predicting biological processes, drug responses, and other cell dynamics before undertaking more costly experiments with live cells.
Studies Identify Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker Driving Basal Disease
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Fred Hutch Cancer Center researchers recently published two papers identifying a key biological signature that not only provides clinics a faster, cheaper way to tell pancreatic cancer subtypes apart, but reveals a biological mechanism that could lead to new therapies.
Chromosomal Abnormality Scores Unlock Path to Personalized Immunotherapy
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers from the University of Chicago have identified tumor aneuploidy—an imbalance in the number of chromosomes—as a biomarker associated with resistance to immunotherapy across cancer types. The study highlights combining immunotherapy with radiation to help overcome therapy resistance, along with a framework for predicting treatment response and personalizing cancer therapy.
Scientists Wipe Out Aggressive Brain Cancer Tumors by Targeting Cellular Motors
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
A potential treatment for glioblastoma crafted by scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute renders the deadly brain cancer newly sensitive to both radiation and chemotherapy drugs, and blocks the cancer’s ability to invade other tissue, a new study shows.
Gene Signature an Early Warning System for Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified a link between stress and inflammation and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The findings could serve as an early warning system for the disease, leading to the detection of PDAC before it becomes life-threatening.
Genetic Marker Could Guide Brain Cancer Treatment
UK Markey Cancer Center
UK Markey Cancer Center researchers have discovered a genetic biomarker that could help identify patients with glioblastoma most likely to benefit from the cancer drug bevacizumab. The study found that brain tumors from patients treated with bevacizumab who lived longer were more likely to have a genetic change called CDK4 amplification.
Research Shows Key Resistance Mechanism in Breast Cancer
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
In a new paper, a team of researchers shows, for the first time, how some tumors respond to CDK4/6 inhibitors by forming an immunosuppressive microenvironment that makes the cancer more resistant to treatment. The research also shows how this microenvironment can be mitigated with radiation therapy or drugs that modulate the immune system.
Stepping Toward Understanding: Gait Analysis to Advance Neuroscience and Cancer Survivorship
Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude's Human Performance Lab measures how cancer treatments affect patients later in life, including cardiovascular effects as well as mobility. Now, St. Jude is expanding on this infrastructure to collect precise gait, balance, coordination, and endurance data across treatment stages to not only understand physical side effects in childhood cancer survivors, but to intervene early to enhance quality of life.
Could a Simple Change in Cancer Screening Save More Black Women's Lives?
Duke Cancer Institute
When a woman experiences bleeding after menopause—a warning sign of endometrial cancer—doctors usually order a transvaginal ultrasound. If that scan is unclear, guidelines say the next step is following up with a biopsy. Yet a new study led by the Duke Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Cancer Program reveals that doesn’t always happen, especially for Black women, and the reason may be familiar.
In-Body CAR T-Cell Generation Proves Effective, Safe in Mice
Stanford Cancer Institute
A study led by Stanford Medicine researchers has shown that it’s possible to generate CAR T cells in mice with the same technique used for mRNA-based vaccines. And by including two sets of protein-making instructions—one that encodes a protein that binds to tumor cells and another that allows the researchers to track where the modified cells are in the body—they can assess the therapy's impact in real time.
Common Autoimmune Drug May Help Reverse Immunotherapy-Induced Diabetes
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
A team of researchers at UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified a potential new strategy to prevent, and even reverse, immune checkpoint inhibitor–induced type 1 diabetes, a rare but life-threatening side effect of cancer immunotherapy, using an existing class of autoimmune drugs.
New Treatment Strategy Targets Aggressive Blood Cancer
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers with the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and IU School of Medicine have discovered a potential new strategy to combat leukemia through a special approach that targets both cancer cells and their protective environment. The study focuses on acute myeloid leukemia and offers insights that could help improve therapies for other difficult-to-treat cancers.
Unlikely Duo: T Cells and B Cells Join Forces to Fight Solid Tumors
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
A research team at Winship Cancer Institute has discovered that two types of immune cells—T helper 17 (Th17) cells and B cells—can work in concert to spark long-lasting protection against solid tumors. Their findings show that Th17 immune cells, delivered as a therapy, rely on the body’s own B cells to provide lasting protection against cancer.
AI Tool May Help Some Prostate Cancer Patients Avoid Hormone Therapy
Duke Cancer Institute
Standard treatment for prostate cancer often includes surgery, radiation, and up to two years of hormonal therapy. But what if not every patient needs the full course? Researchers at Duke Cancer Institute, working with health technology company ArteraAI, have developed an artificial intelligence-powered biomarker that could help determine which patients need extended hormone therapy and which could safely avoid it.
Cancer-Fighting Herpes Virus Shown to Be Effective Treatment for Some Advanced Melanoma
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
A genetically engineered herpes simplex virus, when combined with immunotherapy, reduces or eliminates tumors in one-third of clinical trial patients with advanced melanoma, according to new study.
Pancreatic Cancer Spreads to Liver or Lung Due to This Protein
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Scientists at UC San Francisco have discovered how a protein called PCSK9 determines how pancreatic cancer cells metastasize to different parts of the body. The findings create new opportunities to treat pancreatic cancer, which is notoriously resistant to many therapies.
Researchers Validate a New Therapeutic Target for Acute Myeloid Leukemia
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
New research has further validated CD84 as a potential target for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The team conducted cell and mouse studies to investigate the role of CD84, which is overexpressed in AML cells. They found that CD84 plays an important role in helping leukemia cells survive.
Surprising Finding Could Pave Way for Universal Cancer Vaccine
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to "wake up" the immune system against cancer. The study showed that, like a one-two punch, pairing the test vaccine with common anticancer drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors triggered a strong antitumor response.
Data From Fluorescence Imaging Can Improve Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
A new study demonstrated the benefits of using fluorescence-guided imaging to assess margins in head and neck cancer. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center found that leveraging data collected both during surgery (in vivo) and after the tumor’s removal (ex vivo) can help guide surgeons in achieving a negative margin in cancer resection.
'Mismatched' Transplants Now Safe for Blood Cancer Patients
University of Virginia Cancer Center
Advances in blood stem cell transplants now make it possible for people with blood cancers to get safe and effective "mismatched" transplants that will potentially cure their disease, new UVA Cancer Center research reveals. The advances will allow far more people to receive the lifesaving treatment.
New Target for Obesity-Related Breast Cancer Identified
UK Markey Cancer Center
UK Markey Cancer Center researchers have identified a protein that could be a promising treatment target for obesity-related breast cancer. The study shows that a protein called Hsp47 becomes more active in fat tissue during obesity and helps cancer tumors grow by changing the surrounding tissue environment.
Shedding Light on Why Some Prostate Tumors Resist Treatment
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
A study from University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researchers identifies a cellular signature that explains why about one-third of prostate cancers respond especially poorly to treatment. Treatments such as enzalutamide are standard of care for advanced prostate cancer. While many patients have good long-term response to the drugs, some will derive no benefit whatsoever.
Study Identifies Key Protein That Helps Liver Cancer Resist Heat-Based Treatment
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
A new study led by investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center may help explain why certain liver tumors return quickly after thermal ablation. The team found that the sugar-binding protein Galectin-1 plays a critical role in helping hepatocellular carcinoma resist thermal ablation and even thrive after being treated with high heat.
Clinical Trial Workshop for Junior Faculty
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
The idea2Concept Workshop hybrid course is designed to educate oncology trainees (fellows/residents) and junior faculty from any cancer specialty in applying good clinical practice and scientific reasoning in effective clinical trial conceptualization and design. Courses will take place online starting in fall 2025 with an in-person workshop held at the 18th Annual AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) Meeting in June 2026. The application deadline is Monday, August 11, 2025 at 5:00 pm eastern time.
Researchers Form Empire State Cellular Therapy Consortium
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Five New York State research centers are collaborating to develop new cell and gene therapies for cancer and other diseases. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, the University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Institute, and three academic research centers in New York City—The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NYU Langone Health, and Weill Cornell Medicine—have launched the Empire State Cellular Therapy Consortium.
Weeding Out Cancer With CAR T
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
In 2023, Sixta Georgina Calderón Hernández planted a garden to help her cope with a diagnosis of lymphoma and the side effects of chemotherapy. A year later the cancer came back. But thanks to the CAR T-cell therapy Calederón Hernández received this spring at Cedars-Sinai, her cancer is now in remission. She is the 100th patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy at Cedars-Sinai.
Partnership to Boost Colorectal Cancer Screenings in Arkansas
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
A new partnership between the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and ARcare aims to dramatically improve colorectal cancer screening rates in seven rural Arkansas counties where late-stage diagnoses and cancer disparities are on the rise.
Specialty Clinic Launched
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
David Savage, MD, PhD, recently launched a specialty clinic at the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center to treat skin cancers and soft tissue sarcomas.
Cancer Center Jobs
Meeting Announcements
2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 19, 2025
De Docta Ignorantia: Cancer Immunology in the Era of Omics and Artificial Intelligence
November 6, 2025
This two-day national symposium addresses recent advances in the field and should be an exciting forum for discussion and debate on the current understanding of cancer immunology in the era of omics and artificial intelligence.
2026 AACI Catchment Area Data Excellence (CADEx) Conference
March 9, 2026
Save the date for the 2026 AACI Catchment Area Data Excellence (CADEx) Conference, March 9-11 in Atlanta, GA.