Immuno-Oncology 360° 8th Annual Event Highlights.

Abstract

The 8th Annual Immuno-Oncology 3608 (IO3608) event was held March 16–18, 2022, in New York City. IO3608 2022 attracted a gathering of more than 450 attendees, representing industry, academia, and investment; 125þ speakers; 80þ IO topics; and 9þ hours of networking. Day one began with opening remarks from chairs Axel Hoos, MD, PhD, CEO of Scorpion Therapeutics, and James Gulley, MD, PhD, Chief, Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Director, Medical Oncology Service, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. The opening keynote was from Nobel Laureate Gregg Semenza, MD, PhD, Director, Vascular Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, and Professor of Genetic Medicine, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Figure 1). Dr Semenza discussed his research into hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) and the impact of HIF inhibition on immunotherapy cancer treatment. Daniel Chen, MD, PhD, Founder, Engenuity Life Sciences, gave the Zeitgeist Talk. Dr Chen provided a broad understanding of the IO landscape a decade after checkpoint inhibitors: what is known, what needs to be known, and how to get there faster. Plenary talks covered discovery phase, translational, and biomarker research. There were two tracks focused on clinical operations and advancements in imaging. Five companies participated in the IO3608 biotech showcase. At the annual IO3608 debate, Kristen Hege, MD, Senior Vice President, Early Clinical Development, Hematology/Oncology and Cell Therapy, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), and Bob Valamehr, PhD, Chief Research and Development Officer, Fate Therapeutics, debated whether natural killer cells or T cells were the future for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy. After day one, several attendees took a guided historical walk of New York City’s first landmark district, Brooklyn Heights. Day two began with a welcome from Dr Gulley and a keynote from Rachel Haurwitz, PhD, CEO of Caribou Biosciences (Figure 2). Dr Haurwitz presented on her company’s use of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced Figure 1. Nobel Laureate Gregg Semenza, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, discussed his research into hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) and the impact of HIF inhibition on immunotherapy cancer treatment.