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.
AACI Update | November 2025
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Register Today for the 2026 AACI CADEx Conference
Registration is now open for the 2026 AACI Catchment Area Data Excellence (CADEx) Conference, March 9-11, in Atlanta. This year’s meeting theme is Bringing Data to Life: Connecting Catchment Area Science to People. Abstracts will be accepted for the conference through 5:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, December 1.
Annual Meeting Highlights Persistence Amid Uncertainty
Photo by Randy Belice
Nearly 400 cancer center directors and administrators, representing 95 AACI member cancer centers, gathered in Washington, DC, last month for the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting. Outgoing President Dr. Robert A. Winn set the tone of the three-day meeting in his opening remarks, stating, "Our communities, families, future leaders, and future scientists are depending on us to be strong – at this point, it is our only choice."
Lung Cancer Advocate Delivers Keynote, Calls for Stories
Photo by Randy Belice
On Monday, October 20, lung cancer advocate and former NFL linebacker, Chris Draft, presented a keynote titled "How the Game Has Changed: Raising Cancer Awareness and the Crucial Catch Initiative." During the emotionally charged talk, Draft challenged attendees to tackle the task of raising awareness of cancer research as "one team" with "one fight," not as individual cancer leaders or organizations.
GR Forum Tackles Key Policy Issues in Tumultuous Year
Photo by Randy Belice
AACI held its annual Government Relations (GR) Forum on Monday, October 20, in conjunction with the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting. More than 70 government relations representatives and AACI sustaining members gathered in Washington, DC, to discuss timely cancer-related public policy topics amid an unprecedented government shutdown.
IgniteData Shares Insights From Recent AACI Roundtable
On October 7, AACI Tech Gold member IgniteData hosted a roundtable discussion with cancer center clinical research leaders and industry sponsors. Panelists shared how EHR-to-EDC automation is transforming clinical research at their institutions and across the cancer research ecosystem.
News from the Centers
Eberlein Named President-Elect of American College of Surgeons
Siteman Cancer Center
Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, FACS, director of Siteman Cancer Center, has been elected president-elect of the American College of Surgeons. The three-year commitment includes one-year terms each as president-elect, president, and immediate past president.
Woodard Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Siteman Cancer Center
Pamela K. Woodard, MD, director of Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at WashU Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. She was honored for her leadership as director of MIR, one of the largest academic radiology departments in the U.S., ranking third in funding from the National Institutes of Health.
NCI Comprehensive Designation Renewed
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has renewed the comprehensive designation for the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine for another five years. The renewal includes $18 million in grant funding. The cancer center first received NCI designation in 2007 and comprehensive designation in 2014.
$22.4 Million Grant to Advance Research and Clinical Trials for Leptomeningeal Disease
Moffitt Cancer Center
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have been awarded a $22.4 million federal grant to lead groundbreaking studies and clinical trials for leptomeningeal disease. The competitive award is the only grant funded among 14 national applicants. It will support four years of research and two clinical trials. Moffitt will serve as the lead institution, receiving $18.7 million, in collaboration with Kent State University, which received $3.7 million.
$16 Million National Study Looks at AI in Breast Cancer Screening
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
UCLA and UC Davis will co-lead a multi-institutional clinical trial to evaluate whether artificial intelligence (AI) can help support radiologists in interpreting mammograms more accurately, with the goal of improving breast cancer screening and reducing unnecessary callbacks and anxiety for patients. The study is supported by a $16 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
$13 Million Grant Funds Battle Against Acute Myeloid Leukemia
University of Virginia Cancer Center
UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have received $13 million from the National Cancer Institute to advance innovative new approaches to treating acute myeloid leukemia. The researchers are targeting molecules called sphingolipids found inside the cancer cells, which the scientists believe are essential for the cancer’s growth and spread. Thomas P. Loughran Jr., MD, cancer center director, is leading the work.
$6.5 Million NIH Award to Help Create 3D Atlas of Human Body
Stanford Cancer Institute
Michael Snyder, PhD, is co-leading an initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create a three-dimensional atlas of the human body. The goal is to create the first comprehensive, digitized representation of the healthy male and female body, allowing researchers and clinicians to analyze inter-organ communication and complex human physiology.
Bernstein Receives Melanoma Research Foundation Award
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Emily Bernstein, PhD, received an Established Investigator Award from the Melanoma Research Foundation for "Investigating the Role of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Remodeling the Melanoma Tumor Microenvironment." Dr. Bernstein will use cutting-edge, high-resolution approaches to study the cellular interactions and behaviors within the tumor as the melanoma develops.
National Study Will Test Lung Cancer Screening Program
UK Markey Cancer Center
UK Markey Cancer Center researchers are co-investigators on a new National Cancer Institute grant that will expand Kentucky’s successful lung cancer screening quality improvement program to 60 sites across the U.S. The project, now at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, builds on the Quality Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening (QUILS™) system developed at Markey.
Inaugural Chair Named for Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Pharmacology
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Indiana University School of Medicine has appointed John J. Turchi, PhD, as chair of the newly merged Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Pharmacology. Dr. Turchi is an internationally recognized investigator in DNA damage response, whose work has been consistently funded by the National Cancer Institute and foundations.
Zandberg Announced as Associate Director for Clinical Research
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Dan P. Zandberg, MD, began serving as associate director for clinical research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, effective October 1. In his new role, Dr. Zandberg will work closely with Clinical Research Service leadership and staff to roll out new initiatives designed to enhance our clinical trial accruals and portfolio management.
Top AI Scientist Will Focus on Translational Cancer Outcomes
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Eytan Ruppin, MD, PhD, who pioneers artificial intelligence-based methods for predicting individual patients’ response to cancer therapies, has joined Cedars-Sinai Cancer as deputy director of the Translational Research Institute. He will also serve as director of Integrative Data Sciences in the Division of Surgical Research.
Leadership Appointments to Further Enhance Cancer Care Through Integration
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA’s role as President & CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center will now extend beyond the American Oncologic Hospital to include the Institute for Cancer Research. Fox Chase Cancer Center Director Jonathan Chernoff, MD, PhD, will assume emeritus status, and David Wiest, PhD, will serve as interim director, while a national search is conducted for a new director.
Parsons to Lead Breast Cancer Initiatives
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Heather Parsons, MD, MPH, has joined Fred Hutch Cancer Center as program head of the Breast Oncology Program. She is also an associate professor in the Fred Hutch Clinical Research Division. Previously a physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Parsons conducted research on new ways to test a person’s blood for signs of cancer.
Hill Joins Breast Care Team
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Nicole Datrice Hill, MD, wasn’t always focused on surgery as a career, but a diagnosis in her family eventually led her to a place on the breast care team at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Hill's experience includes a two-year research and clinical oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute.
Lung Cancer Rewires Immune Cells in the Bone Marrow to Weaken Body Defenses
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, and colleagues report that tumors rewire immune cells in the bone marrow before they even reach the cancer. The findings highlight the potential of early upstream interventions before myeloid cells enter the tumor for improving immunotherapy outcomes.
9/11 Study Shows How Toxic Exposures May Lead to Blood Cancers
Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center
A study led by researchers at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that mutations in blood-forming cells may explain the increased risk for leukemia and other blood disorders among first responders exposed to the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster site and its toxic dust. The study also points to a novel strategy for use against inflammation and blood disorders associated with environmental toxins.
Study Identifies Mechanism of Action for Discontinued Cancer Drug
Stanford Cancer Institute
Steven Corsello, MD, is the senior author on a study showing that a drug originally developed to cause a toxic buildup of iron inside cancer cells instead acts by blocking essential growth molecules from being transported within the cells, causing the cancer cells to die.
Clinical Trial Aims to Improve Quality of Life for Prostate Cancer Survivors
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
A clinical trial at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center could improve quality of life for men with prostate cancer. IU is among the first cancer centers to enroll patients in the study, which is evaluating an implantable device designed to help men regain urinary control following prostate removal surgery.
Fish Oil Supplements May Not Work for Certain Cancer Patients
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Dietary fish oil supplements—primarily the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid—are widely used as a remedy for chronic diseases. However, their effects on cancer risk have been inconsistent. In a study, researchers from the University of Michigan and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have shown that the gene 15-lipoxygenase-1, or ALOX15, is essential for helping EPA and DHA suppress colorectal cancer.
Making Cancer Vaccines More Personal
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
University of Arizona researchers have created a model for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and identified two mutated tumor proteins, or neoantigens, that contain features of good candidates for a vaccine. At the same time, they used artificial intelligence to create 3D models to help them understand and predict which neoantigens could provoke T cells, a type of white blood cell critical to the immune system, to attack the cancer.
Novel Immunotherapy Combination Destroys Colorectal Liver Metastases
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
UCSF researchers have discovered that a novel combination of immunotherapies can reprogram the immune environment of colon cancer tumors that spread to the liver. In preclinical-lab research, this therapy often eliminated tumors entirely, offering a potential new path for treating patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
Trial Improves Survival for Patients With Colorectal Cancer
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
A clinical trial, led by UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, is the first to show that an immunotherapy-based, chemotherapy-free treatment can extend the lives of people with metastatic colorectal cancer who have exhausted prior standard chemotherapy options. The results of the Phase III trial represent a major advancement in therapy for a type of cancer that is fatal within five years for 85 percent of those with the diagnosis.
For Rapid, Precise Lung Cancer Resections, Researchers Look to a Pen
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
UCLA researchers are testing a pen-like tool that can be directed on a patient’s lungs during surgery. The new device eliminates the need to carry lung tissue out of the operating room into a lab, with analysis of healthy and cancerous areas done in seconds with high accuracy.
Study Links Survivorship Care to Longer Life for Childhood Cancer Survivors
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
A new study led by researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta shows that childhood cancer survivors who engage in long-term survivorship programs and receive a personalized survivorship care plan live longer than those who do not.
DNA Shed by Colon Cancers May Help Personalize Postsurgical Treatment
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Circulating tumor DNA—genetic material shed from tumors into the bloodstream—may help risk-stratify patients with Stage 3 colon cancer by tailoring chemotherapy options after surgery based on risk of cancer recurrence, according to new research co-led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
BiTE-Based Immunotherapy Strategy Could Point to Ovarian Cancer Breakthrough
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
A study led by researchers at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center shows that combining two types of immunotherapy—engineered T cells that secrete bispecific T cell engagers (BiTEs) and an immune checkpoint inhibitor—can alter the tumor microenvironment to launch a stronger attack against ovarian cancer and reduce the risk of relapse.
Could This Birth Control Shot Increase Your Risk for Brain Tumor?
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
One in four sexually active women has used injectable birth control, administered into the muscle by a clinician, but UCSF researchers are reporting many may be unaware of its association with meningioma, the most common brain tumor in adults. In Europe and Canada, the drug is mandated to carry a warning – but not in the U.S.
Drug Combo Cuts Risk of Death in Advanced Prostate Cancer by 40 Percent
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Men whose prostate cancer returns after surgery or radiation therapy may now benefit from a new drug combination shown in clinical trials to cut the risk of death by more than 40 percent. The combination therapy, which adds enzalutamide to commonly prescribed hormone therapy, reduced deaths in patients with recurrent prostate cancer after surgery or radiation for whom other treatments are no longer an option.
Next-Generation CAR T Cells Could Expand Solid Cancer Treatment Options
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
A research team from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, in collaboration with City of Hope, has engineered CAR T cells to produce a fusion of two proteins: interleukin 12 (IL-12) cytokine, which boosts immune activity, and a programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) blocker, an immune checkpoint inhibitor that prevents cancer cells from turning off the immune attack.
Understanding Patient Preferences in Therapies for Multiple Myeloma
Duke Cancer Institute
A recent study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers sheds light on how patients with multiple myeloma weigh the risks and benefits of two promising treatment options: CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific T-cell engagers.
AI Helps Scientists Better Predict, Diagnose Hard-to-Detect Form of Breast Cancer
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
New research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – The James is using artificial intelligence (AI) to devise new ways of predicting which patients will develop lobular cancer, an aggressive and difficult-to-detect form of breast cancer which represents one in every 10 breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S.
Finally a Proxy for Tracking Responses in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
A new study suggests it may finally be possible to predict when patients are becoming resistant to a common treatment used in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The new research, led by Winship and Emory University scientists, found that nearly all activated and growing CLL cells express PD-1, an important protein that is normally seen in some T cells but not in B cells.
Obesity Weakens Cancer Immunity. Can GLP-1 Drugs Turn It Back On?
Duke Cancer Institute
For decades, doctors have known that obesity raises the risk of breast cancer. What’s been harder to explain is why. Duke University School of Medicine research is examining the immune system itself for answers, looking at how extra weight can dull the body’s cancer defenses – and how blockbuster GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic might help reset them.
Study Finds Hidden Blood Mutations Spark Obesity, Diabetes and Liver Disease
UF Health Cancer Institute
UF Health Cancer Institute researchers have found a surprising culprit behind common health problems like obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease: silent genetic glitches in the blood system that occur naturally as people age. The findings mean that in the future, simple blood tests could be developed to identify people most at risk early on.
Falloposcope Cancer Screening Tool Testing Advances to Next Steps
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
Researchers are now conducting two pilot trials using optimized versions of a patented falloposcope – the first endoscope to image and collect cells from fallopian tubes. The new in vivo and ex vivo studies are testing the device with 200 patients, adding to data from about 20 participants in previous investigations. The researchers are expanding the foundation they’ve steadily built with the help of emerging technologies.
New Guidelines Issued for Treating Thyroid Cancer
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Thyroid cancer is the 12th most common cancer in the U.S., with most patients diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer, in which the cancer cells retain some features of normal thyroid cells. The American Thyroid Association first published guidelines for managing differentiated thyroid cancer in 1996 and has revised them over the years. The current updates consider every aspect of the patient’s journey, including diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment.
Biomarker Analysis Reveals Clues to Long-Term Survival in Glioblastoma Patients Treated With SurVaxM
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
A study led by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is shedding light on why some newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients survive longer than others after receiving standard treatment in conjunction with the therapeutic brain cancer immunotherapy SurVaxM.
Study Reveals Efficacy of Nicotinamide for Skin Cancer Prevention
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
The dietary supplement nicotinamide has been recommended by dermatologists for people with a history of skin cancer since 2015. However, data to validate that recommendation has been lacking because nicotinamide can be purchased over the counter without being entered into patients’ medical records. In a new study, researchers found a way to get that data by analyzing records from the Veterans Affairs Corporate Data Warehouse.
UF Health Cancer Center is Now an Institute
UF Health Cancer Institute
The University of Florida has conferred the prestigious title of institute to the University of Florida Health Cancer Center, a reflection of its prominence in cancer research at UF and as one of the country’s top institutions for cancer care and research.
VUMC Performs Nations First Surgery Using Latest Generation of Intraoperative PET-CT Scan Technology
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Surgeons in Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery have successfully performed the country’s first procedure using the latest generation of intraoperative PET (positron emission tomography) and CT (computed tomography) technology, with the goal of improving surgical outcomes.
Cancer Center Jobs
Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor, Cancer Epidemiology
Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute
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The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Read moreMeeting Announcements
De Docta Ignorantia: Cancer Immunology in the Era of Omics and Artificial Intelligence
November 6, 2025
Young Adult Cancer Symposium
November 15, 2025
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, a leader in research to better understand early-onset cancers and to address the unique challenges faced by younger patients, will be holding the VICC 2025 Young Adult Cancer Symposium on Nov. 15.
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.