ESMO 2024 will disseminate the latest cutting-edge data, provide high quality education and unparalleled networking opportunities for oncologists and other stakeholders from all around the world.

This meeting collaboration between the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy CIMT and the Champalimaud Foundation will address promising paths towards effective cellular treatment modalities for patients with solid cancer and discuss the boundaries of synthetically engineered immune cells. The meeting will also discuss the innovation gap between academic and small biotech driven research, and the challenges of safe, biologically, and clinically relevant phase I / II clinical trials.

The summit sessions will offer a patient-focused perspective on cell therapy possibilities by addressing the quality and nature of the “cellular product” as the starting material for cell therapy; patient-specific therapy and product development including molecular engineering; longevity and “fitness” of cell products after adoptive transfer, and mobilization of autologous anti-cancer directed T-cell responses.

CONFERENCE COCHAIRS

Yvonne Y. Chen, University of California, Los Angeles, California

Sergio Quezeda, University College London (UCL) Cancer Institute, London, England

Robert D. Schreiber, Washington University School of Medicine of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri

Fernando Vidal-Vanaclocha, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Member registration opens April 2024; non-member registration opens in May 2024.

The Leipzig Immune ONcology (LION) Conference will focus on the latest developments in immune oncology and provide a forum for leading scientists, clinicians, and industry professionals to exchange ideas and discuss new findings in this exciting field. We invite you to submit your abstracts for oral and poster presentations at the conference. In addition to a stimulating scientific program, the conference will feature networking opportunities, including a welcome reception and poster sessions, as well as an industry exhibition showcasing the latest technologies and services related to cancer immunotherapy research. The LION Conference is organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI and the University Hospital Leipzig. We are looking forward to welcoming you in Leipzig this November and to hearing about your latest research in immune oncology.

CONFERENCE COCHAIRS:

Mikala Egeblad, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York

Neta Erez, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Sergei I. Grivennikov, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California

Ilaria Malanchi, The Francis Crick Institute, London, England

Normal and pathological immune responses function across tissues that harbor unique metabolic, environmental, and cellular microenvironments. Therefore the mechanisms that recruit and activate leukocytes, define their interstitial function and survival, or promote their retention in particular tissues are crucial to understanding how to boost, redirect, or restrict immune responses across the spectrum of health and disease. While the topic of tissue specific immunity has been touched on in other meetings, this is the first conference to integrate discussion across diverse tissues and disease contexts. The program will cover how various tissues shape the immune responses that are generated within, while highlighting emerging technologies that are enabling advancements in this field.