Allison Institute’s Third Annual Scientific Symposium Highlighted By Panel Discussion With Five Nobel Laureates

MThe James P. Allison Institute™ at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center hosted its third annual scientific symposium, “The Multiverse of Mechanistic Processes Impacting Immunity,” on Oct. 24 at the TMC3 Collaborative Building in the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park.

The symposium, with more than 1,500 attending in person and virtually, featured a panel discussion with five Nobel laureates, three sessions highlighting the latest advances in cancer vaccines, immunotherapy and immunology research, a poster session, and the presentation of awards for scientific achievement and leadership.

“Collaborative efforts are crucial for advancing meaningful breakthroughs in the fields of immunobiology and immunotherapy,” said Nobel laureate James P. Allison, Ph.D., director of the Allison Institute and regental professor and chair of Immunology at MD Anderson. “We are proud to host this annual symposium and to welcome renowned members of the scientific community. Together, we can make significant progress to fully understand the immune system and move closer toward our mission to end cancer.”

The Allison Institute is leading exceptional discovery and translational and clinical research to integrate immunobiology across all disciplines. With a comprehensive understanding of the immune system, Allison Institute researchers will accelerate new, synergetic therapies to bring the benefits of immunotherapy to all patients.

The symposium opened with remarks from Allison, Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., director of scientific programs at the Allison Institute and professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology at MD Anderson, and William McKeon, president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center. Sharma introduced a special shopping experience, hosted by Alice + Olivia Houston on Oct. 25, with 15% of net proceeds from all sales benefitting research at the Allison Institute.

Three sessions featured more than 15 leading clinicians and researchers focused on breakthroughs in cancer vaccine and RNA biology, the intersection of biology and chemistry for cancer immunotherapy, and advances in cancer immunology for improving clinical outcomes. Keynote speakers included:

• Gary Ruvkun, Ph.D., Nobel laureate and professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School
• Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., Nobel laureate and Anne T. and Robert M. Bass professor of chemistry at Stanford University
• Andrea Schietinger, Ph.D., associate member of the Immunology program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Fred Ramsdell, Ph.D., founder of Sonoma Biotherapeutics and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The highlight of the day was a panel discussion with Allison and four other Nobel laureates – Bertozzi, Ramsdell, Ruvkun, and Phillip Sharp, Ph.D., professor emeritus at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology – and moderator Alice Park, senior health correspondent at TIME.

The Allison Institute also presented several awards to recognize scientific achievement and leadership. Guilio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer at MD Anderson, received the inaugural James P. Allison Institute Catalyst Award for his innovative vision and collaborative scientific leadership.

The symposium poster session featured 91 scientific presentations, and the top three posters were honored. First place was awarded to Mehdi Chaib, Ph.D., second place was awarded to Falk Ponath, Ph.D., and third place was awarded to Annette Wu.