Allison Institute Convenes Leading Scientists and Clinicians for Fourth Annual Scientific Symposium on Frontiers of Immunotherapy

The James P. Allison Institute™ at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center hosted its fourth annual scientific symposium, “Immune Set Points: Stress, Wellness and System Control,” on Oct. 30 at the TMC³ Collaborative Building in the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park. The symposium featured a panel discussion with five Nobel laureates, three scientific sessions, a poster session and a presentation of awards for scientific achievement and leadership.

This year’s meeting drew more than 1,400 registered attendees to share and discuss the latest in immunology and immunotherapy research. The symposium focused on immune set points, the regulatory mechanisms that determine if the immune system is activated, maintains equilibrium, or returns to baseline. Understanding these thresholds and how they may be manipulated holds important implications for future immunotherapies.

“We are pleased to again host our annual scientific symposium to advance the frontiers of immunotherapy,” said Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Allison Institute™ and vice president of Immunobiology. “With so many renowned researchers in attendance, this was a tremendous opportunity to share breakthroughs and foster collaboration across the scientific community, bringing us closer to achieving our mission to end cancer.”

The Allison Institute is leading exceptional discovery, translational and clinical research to integrate immunobiology across all disciplines. Building on the foundational discoveries of its namesake and founding director, James P. Allison, Ph.D., Regental professor and chair of Immunology, the institute is committed to gaining a comprehensive understanding of the immune system in order to bring the benefits of immunotherapy to all patients.

In addition to Sharma, the symposium’s opening session included remarks by Jeffrey E. Lee, M.D., president ad interim at UT MD Anderson; Albert Koong, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer at UT MD Anderson; and scientific advisory board chairs Robert Schreiber, Ph.D., and Elaine Mardis, Ph.D.

Scientific sessions featured research presentations from more than 15 of the world’s leading scientists and clinicians, organized within the themes of the meeting. Keynote speakers included:

• William G. Kaelin Jr., M.D., Nobel laureate, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School
• Kevan Shokat, Ph.D., University of California San Francisco
• Ananda Goldrath, Ph.D., University of California San Diego
• Charles Sawyers, M.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital

The highlight of the day was a panel discussion, “Reflections on Discovery, Immunity and the Future of Cancer Science,” featuring five Nobel laureates: James P. Allison, Ph.D., Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., William G. Kaelin Jr., M.D., Fred Ramsdell, Ph.D., and Gary Ruvkun, Ph.D. The discussion was moderated by Alice Park, senior health correspondent at TIME.

The Allison Institute also presented awards to recognize scientific achievement and leadership. Robert Schreiber, Ph.D., received the Vanguard Award for innovative vision and collaborative scientific leadership. The symposium’s poster session featured 96 scientific presentations, and the top three posters were honored. First place was awarded to Ricardo Gonzalez Delgado, graduate student in the laboratory of Mauro Di Pilato, Ph.D.; second place was awarded to Danwei Wang, senior research assistant in the laboratory of Shengqing Gu, Ph.D.; and third place was awarded to Annette Wu, graduate student in the laboratory of Wen Jiang, M.D., Ph.D., and Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D.