ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology 2016

October 28, 2016

Lugano/Lausanne, 28 October 2016 - Immunotherapies (medicines that use the body's immune system to fight cancer) have proven to be a real breakthrough for cancer patients. They have provided longer survival as well as a better quality of life to patients with tumours that had few treatment options previously.

At the ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology starting Friday 4 November in Lausanne, Switzerland, around 600 experts and researchers from all over the world will gather to discuss advances in cancer immunotherapy, from cancer vaccines to antibodies and cell therapies.

Research has demonstrated that the immune system has tremendous potential to destroy tumours.

Immunotherapy today works better for some types of cancer than for others. It is used by itself to treat some tumours, and combined with additional treatments for other cancers. Experts attending the 4th ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology will discuss how to best develop and individualise new strategies across tumour types.

Cancer vaccines that delay or stop cancer cell growth or cause tumour shrinkage, are only one of the exciting developments to be presented at the ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology.

Oral presentations include:

• Abstract 4O - Enhanced anti-cancer vaccines with a new epitope improvement system
• Abstract 3O - Generation of Immune Checkpoint Knock-out Human Antigen-Specific T cells via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Genetic Engineering
• Abstract 1O - Association between single nucleotide polymorphisms and side effects in nivolumab treated NSCLC patients
• Abstract 2O - Phase 1 study of ramucirumab (R) plus durvalumab (D) in patients (pts) with locally advanced and unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal or thoracic malignancies (NCT02572687); phase 1a results
• Abstract 5O - GBR1302-BEAT® Bispecific Antibody targeting CD3 and HER2 demonstrates a higher anti-tumour potential than current HER2-targeting therapies
  
  

The session on technological developments includes the following presentations:

• Discovery and validation of next-generation biomarkers to guide cancer immunotherapy
• Learning to read the adaptive immune repertoire
• Deciphering the biology that drives response to immunotherapy
  
  

Poster highlights include:

• Abstract 6PD - Improving the efficacy of PDL1 blockade by combination with oncolytic vaccines
• Abstract 7PD - Oncolytic immunotherapy for enabling dendritic cell therapy
• Abstract 8PD - Dendritic Cell production from allogenic donor Cd34+ stem cells and mononuclear cells: cancer vaccine
• Abstract 9PD - PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in ovarian cancer
• Abstract 10PD - Assessment of PD-L1 and CD47 expression together with tumour-associated TILs in resectable early stage NSCLC
• Abstract 54PD - Preclinical Development of Tumour-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) based Adoptive Cell Transfer Immunotherapy (ACT) for patients with advanced ovarian cancer
• Abstract 12PD - MemoMAB, a novel technology for the banking and screening of cognate human immune-receptor repertoires
  
  

Major topics to be discussed at the Symposium are:

• Biological therapy: Infectious agents at the service of immunotherapy
• Immuno-oncology clinical studies across tumour types (melanoma, lung, bladder, breast, GI, CNS, ovarian...)
• Cancer antigens
• Antibody based immunotherapy: Checkpoint blockade and bio-specifics
• Biomarkers response
• Technological developments
• Immuno-oncology meets molecular oncology
• Beyond PD-1/PD-L1 axis blockade: Combinations or new molecules
• Molecular controls of the immune system
• Adoptive T cell therapy
  
  

Abstracts presented as posters and poster discussions will be online at 12:00 (Central European Time) on 2 November 2016; abstracts selected for oral presentations will be made public at the beginning of the Symposium, 10:45 (CET) on Friday 4 November 2016. The whole Scientific Programme can be consulted here: http://www.esmo.org/Conferences/Immuno-Oncology-2016/Programme

Media registration

ESMO welcomes media interested in obtaining information and reporting on cancer issues. Registered journalists can access all Symposium sessions and the official webcasts, although there will be no dedicated press activities on site. Registration is free to bona fide journalists on presentation of a letter of assignment and a valid press card. Media representatives are required to observe and abide by the ESMO Media Policy.

To register for the event, please fill out the Complimentary Media Registration Form: http://esmo.formstack.com/forms/immuno_oncology_2016

Please contact the ESMO Press Office for any additional question: media@esmo.orgAbout the European Society for Medical Oncology

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. Comprising more than 13,000 oncology professionals from over 130 countries, we are the society of reference for oncology education and information. We are committed to supporting our members to develop and advance in a fast-evolving professional environment.

Founded in 1975, ESMO has European roots and a global reach: we welcome oncology professionals from around the world. We are a home for all oncology stakeholders, connecting professionals with diverse expertise and experience. Our educational and information resources support an integrated, multi-professional approach to cancer treatment. We seek to erase boundaries in cancer care as we pursue our mission across oncology, worldwide.

European Society for Medical Oncology