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5TH ANNUAL

IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY Young Investigators’ Forum

An Academic Research Forum Focusing on Research and Career Development for

Oncology Junior Faculty and Fellows

www.IOYIF.comFollow us on Twitter @IOYIForum

PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

Presented by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Creative Educational Concepts, Inc.

in collaboration with the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca.

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Message from the Activity Chairs

Dear Colleagues,

The rapidly evolving landscape of cancer immunology research has shown that immune modulation is one of the most promising treatment methods for numerous cancer types. The breadth of current research related to immune check-point inhibitors and cellular therapies has stimulated the development of new immunotherapy agents and provoked a dramatic surge in both basic/translational and clinical/translational research. To sustain and expand these research efforts, Young Investigators in this field must be trained to meet and anticipate research obstacles and criticisms. The Fifth Annual Immuno-Oncology Young Investigators’ Forum (IOYIF) brought together investigators, whose research is focused on immuno-oncology, during a formative stage of their career to provide insight into this promising therapeu-tic area, and to provide training and feedback to improve presentation skills. A world-class panel of judges selected 35 participants (clinician scientists, research scientists, PhD/post-doctoral researchers, and clinical fellows) based on blinded reviews of the abstracts submitted for consideration by interested researchers. The selected Young Investigators came to Texas to present their research and receive constructive evaluations of their presentation content and delivery from the judges and professional scientific coaches.

This is the most impactful and rewarding program we are involved in during the year. It provides a wonderful and unparalleled learning and training experience for fellows, post-docs, and junior faculty in our field. We receive many compliments from the attendees, primarily how much this experience helps them in their careers. We also see a network of Young Investigators building from the IOYIF each year and interacting at national meetings, on social media, and for research & mentoring collaborations.

On behalf of the Expert Faculty Judge Mentors, we congratulate the 2019 Young Investigators on their accomplishments and wish them continued success in their future endeavors!

Sincerely,

Mario Sznol, MDProgram Co-chair

Patrick Hwu, MDProgram Co-chair

2019 Young Investigators and Expert Faculty Judges

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The Immuno-Oncology Distinguished Young Investigator Award $10,000 Grant

The Immuno-Oncology Distinguished Young Investigator Award provides recognition for Junior Faculty who contin-ue their dedication and sustained research efforts in immunotherapy. This year’s Immuno-Oncology Distinguished Young Investigators’ Awards were presented to:

2019 JUNIOR FACULTY—RESEARCH SCIENTIST WINNERNikhil S. Joshi, PhD Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

Research Title: Engineering NINJA for Studies of Cancer Immunology

Dr. Joshi is an Assistant Professor from the Immunobiology Department at Yale University. He did his grad-uate training understanding the mechanisms for how CD8 T-cell memory forms in acute infections, then continued as a post-doc working on regulatory T-cells in a cancer biology lab. His focus is developing novel mouse models of cancer for studies of cancer immunology. During his postdoc, Dr. Joshi developed the iNversion INducible Joined neoAntigen (NINJA) mouse, which is a tool that his lab is using to investigate how T-cells differentiate and function in a variety of conditions, including can-cer and tolerance. From these studies, Dr. Joshi hopes to gain a more thorough understanding of the molecular drivers reg-ulating T-cell function in tumors, and to determine novel means for therapeutically modulating anti-tumor T-cell responses.

“As a Junior PI, it is valuable to interact with others in similar situations and learn how they are navigating the challenges they face.The mentoring sessions with the faculty panel imparted advice on how I may broaden my fundraising efforts and become more effective…which is such a crucial skill.”

“My lab will use the award money for transcriptonic studies on how T-cells develop in different cancer types.”

2019 JUNIOR FACULTY—CLINICIAN SCIENTIST WINNERPavan Bachireddy, MD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Research Title: Single Cell T-Cell Maps of DLI Response and Resistance

Dr. Bachireddy is a Translational Investigator studying mechanisms of cancer immune evasion and apply-ing this knowledge towards developing novel biomarker-directed immunotherapeutic agents for patients with hematologic malignancies. This goal has informed his career path over the past 12 years, starting with research interests in tumor immunol-ogy at the Stanford University School of Medicine. There, supported by an HHMI Research Training Fellowship, Dr. Bachireddy uncovered an unanticipated role for the immune system in mediating oncogene addiction (Cancer Cell, 2010). More recently, he has used molecular signatures to demonstrate reversal of T-cell exhaustion during response to adoptive cellular therapy (Blood, 2014), uncover diverse patterns of leukemia-infiltrating immune cells corresponding to distinct clinical outcomes to ipilimumab (NEJM, 2016), and identify a novel biomarker of outcome to CTLA-4 blockade in metastatic melanoma (Cell, 2018).

Currently he is the Principal Investigator and lead scientific investigator, respectively, for clinical trials treating chronic lym-phocytic leukemia (NCT03219450) and follicular lymphoma (NCT03361852) with personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines, and applying high-throughput single cell transcriptomics to elucidate co-evolutionary trajectories of leukemia and immune cell populations during immunotherapeutic response and resistance. The results from these studies will facilitate the design of novel strategies to deconstruct the leukemic microenvironment. He is grateful for the collegiality and support of IOYIF colleagues.

“Participation in the IOYIF Forum has already had a tremendous impact on my professional development through the formation of a tight network of professional colleagues/potential collaborators and interactions with leaders in the field. The advice from respected leaders overseeing this process and from peers undergoing the same process is invaluable.”

“The grant award will enable me to attend conferences and enroll in training courses for learning computational biology techniques.”

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2019 Junior Faculty Winners RESEARCH SCIENTIST

First Runner-UpGang Xin, PhD Blood Research Institute/Blood Center of Wisconsin

Research Title: A Novel Immunotherapy Overcomes Antigen Escape and Prevents Relapse

“The IOYIF is one of the best conferences I’ve attended. There were fulfilling networking opportunities and incredible career advice from the judges.”

“Discussion with my IOYIF peers also opened the door for potential collaborations in the future.”

Second Runner-UpCatalina Lee-Chang, PhD Northwestern University

Research Title: Generation of Anti-Glioma B-cell Based Vaccine (BVax)

“This experience has not only enriched my scientific knowledge and curiosity but will heavily impact future decisions regarding regarding my science and professional future.”

“I am extremely grateful to the expert judges for their time, patience, and dedication. They are real role models for all of us!”

CLINICIAN SCIENTIST

First Runner-UpHirva Mamdani, MD Karmanos Cancer Institute

Research Title: Safety and Efficacy of Durvalumab Following Multimodality Therapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal and GEJ Adenocarinoma

“IOYIF provided me opportunities to not only present my research to the leading personalities in immuno-oncology and to fellow peers, but also a unique setting to network and collaborate together on future projects.”

“The collaborations established during this forum will have a lasting impact on my career development.”

Second Runner-UpYinghong Wang, MD, PhD MD Anderson Cancer Center

Research Title: The Fate of Immune-Mediated Colitis After the Resumption of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

“I appreciate the opportunity to connect with the oncology community and learn different aspects of oncology research from other researchers.”

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2019 Fellows Winners PHD/POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

First Place (tie)Kristin Anderson, PhD Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Research Title: Engineering Adoptive T-Cell Therapy to Co-Opt FAS Ligand-Mediated Death Signaling in Solid Tumors

“I really enjoyed getting to know so many other young researchers and expanded my network by building solid relationships with new colleagues. I fully anticipate utilizing their expertise for collaborations and career advice in the future.”

First Place (tie)Anthony R. Cillo, PhD University of Pittsburgh

Research Title: Heterogeneity of CD4+ T-Cell Transcriptional Signatures in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Single-Cell RNAseq Analysis

”Networking with peers and judges and hearing the most cutting-edge research helped my professional development by enhancing my knowledge of the future of immuno-oncology.”

“Receiving this award will improve my CV/resume and allow me to attend other national conferences to network and continue sharing my research.”

First Place (tie)Evan Weber, PhD Stanford University

Research Title: Transient Rest Reverses CAR T-cell Exhaustion and Improves Therapeutic Efficacy

“IOYIF was a fantastic opportunity to network with leaders in cancer immunotherapy and peers who are at similar stages in their research careers.”

“These relationships will assist in my search for a faculty position and provide opportunities for future scientific collaboration.”

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2019 Fellows Winners

Second Place (tie)Sai Arun Batra, PhD Baylor College of Medicine

Research Title: Novel and Improved Glypican-3-Specific CAR T-Cells Co-Expressing Interleukins-15 (IL-15) and 21 (IL-21) for the Immunotherapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“The opportunity to meet fellow peers conducting excellent work in immunotherapy helped me understand where and how to develop collaborations in the future.”

Second Place (tie)Rachel Burga, PhD The George Washington University

Research Title: Generation of Genetically-Modified NK Cells as a TGFβ -Resistant Immunotherapy for Neuroblastoma

”I’m grateful to have the opportunity to meet exceptional peers and faculty who are passionate about the immuno-oncology field. This meeting provided a unique platform to hone presentation, critical thinking, and networking skills.”

“IOYIF provided an excellent opportunity to obtain valuable feedback on navigating the world of academic science and I look forward to maintaining the relationships I formed at future immuno-oncology meetings.”

Second Place (tie)Nils-Petter Rudqvist, PhD Weill Cornell Medicine

Research Title: TCR Repertoire Correlates of Response to Radiotherapy and CTLA-4 Blockade in a Mouse Model

“IOYIF was an incredibly important networking opportunity for me. It enabled me to connect directly with a senior PI connected to a university I am interviewing with, which resulted in a second interview being requested due to us meeting and me presenting my research at this forum.”

“I met several young investigators to develop future collaborations with and received supportive career advice as I move forward.”

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2019 Fellows Winners

Third Place (tie)Christopher Thomas Petersen, PhD St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Research Title: CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Deletion of the SHP-1 Gene Enhances the Anti-Glioma Activity of IL-13Rα2 CAR T-cells in Murine Xenograft Models

“I made many valuable connections at IOYIF which will prove valuable moving forward in my career.”

Third Place (tie)Fan Zhang, PhD Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Research Title: Programming Tumor-Clearing Macrophages with Gene Therapy

“As a chemical engineer, IOYIF offered great opportunities to learn the current advancements in immuno-oncology and connect with research scientists and clinical fellows in the field.”

Third Place (tie)Ting Zhou, PhD Yale University School of Medicine

Research Title: Unlocking an Untapped Cytokine Pathway with Decoy-Resistant IL-18

“IOYIF provides a great opportunity to connect with accomplished senior researchers, communicate with young scholars, and discover important research topics in immuno-oncology.”

“This forum taught me how to present concisely and communicate efficiently, which will pave the way for my scientific career.”

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2019 Fellows Winners CLINICAL FELLOW

First PlaceAshwin Somasundaram, MD University of Pittsburgh

Research Title: IL-6, IL-8 Drive Immune Dysfunction via an IR Module on Effector and Naïve, Peripheral Blood CD8+ T-Cells in Cancer Patients

“Participating in the IOYIF was invaluable, given the one-on-one interactions with faculty and peers.”

Second PlaceLynn (Lingling) Chen, MD Johns Hopkins University

Research Title: Increased Tumor Associated Macrophages and T-cell Spatial Distribution in the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Tumor Microenvironment Affect Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade

“Listening to my fellow peers’ research was inspiring and validated and encouraged the importance of my work.”

“Meeting research colleagues was a great networking opportunity and I may interact and collaborate with them in the future.”

Third PlaceSungho Lee, MD, PhD Baylor College of Medicine

Research Title: Role of CX3CR1 Signaling in Malignant Transformation of Gliomas

“I received practical advice from leaders in the immuno-oncology field and was inspired by my peer’s cutting-edge research from around the country.”

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2019 IOYIF Participants and Institutions Haitham Abdelhakim, MDUniversity of Kansas Cancer CenterWestwood, Kansas

Kristin Anderson, PhDFred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterSeattle, Washington

Pavan Bachireddy, MDDana-Farber Cancer InstituteBoston, Massachusetts

Sai Arun Batra, PhDBaylor College of MedicineHouston, Texas

Rachel Burga, PhDThe George Washington University Washington, DC

Lynn (Lingling) Chen, MDJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland

Peiwen Chen, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Hyeongjwa Choi, PhDGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashington, DC

Anthony R. Cillo, PhDUniversity of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Julie M. Collins, MD, MPHNational Cancer InstituteBethesda, Maryland

Priyamvada Jayaprakash, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Nikhil S. Joshi, PhDYale University School of MedicineNew Haven, Connecticut

Jan O. Kemnade, MD, PhDBaylor College of MedicineHouston, Texas

Sung-Eun Lee, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

MALE/FEMALE Ratio

57% 43%

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18 INSTITUTIONS REPRESENTED

• Baylor College of Medicine• Blood Research Institute• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center• George Washington University• Georgetown University Medical Center• Johns Hopkins University• Karmanos Cancer Institute• National Cancer Institute• Northwestern University• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital• Stanford University• The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center• University of Kansas Cancer Center• University of Nebraska Medical Center• University of Pittsburgh• Weill Cornell Medicine• Yale University School of Medicine

Sungho Lee, MD, PhDBaylor College of MedicineHouston, Texas

Catalina Lee-Chang, PhDNorthwestern UniversityChicago, Illinois

Hirva Mamdani, MDKarmanos Cancer InstituteDetroit, Michigan

Elisabet Manasanch, MD, MHScMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Kamiya Mehla, PhDUniversity of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, Nebraska

Adriana Moustaki, PhDSt. Jude Children’s Research HospitalMemphis, Tennessee

Christopher Thomas Petersen, PhDSt. Jude Children’s Research HospitalMemphis, Tennessee

Yong Qin, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Nils-Petter Rudqvist, PhDWeill Cornell MedicineNew York, New York

Ashwin Somasundaram, MDUniversity of PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Xiaoping Wang, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

2019 IOYIF Participants and Institutions

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Yinghong Wang, MD, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Evan Weber, PhDStanford UniversityStanford, California

Jun Wei, MD, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Erik Wennerberg, PhDWeill Cornell MedicineNew York, New York

Gang Xin, PhDBlood Research InstituteMilwaukee, Wisconsin

Richard Kenneth Yang, MD, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Fan Zhang, PhDFred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterSeattle, Washington

Di Zhao, PhDMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Ting Zhou, PhDYale University School of MedicineNew Haven, Connecticut

2019 IOYIF Participants and Institutions

Participant Categories

Clinician Scientist

Research Scientist

PhD/Postdoctoral Researcher

Clinical Fellow

51%21%

21%

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2019 IOYIF Professional Presentation Coaches

2019 IOYIF Expert Faculty Judges Mario Sznol, MD (Co-chair)Yale University School of MedicineNew Haven, Connecticut

Patrick Hwu, MD (Co-chair)The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Zihai Li, MD, PhDThe Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer CenterColumbus, Ohio

Madhav V. Dhodapkar, MBBSWinship Cancer Institute of Emory UniversityAtlanta, Georgia

Jennifer Wargo, MD, MMScThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas

Catherine Bollard, MD, MBChB, FRACP, FRCPAThe George Washington University School of Medicine and Health SciencesWashington, DC

Lisa H. Butterfield, PhDParker Institute for Cancer ImmunotherapySan Francisco, California

Michael B. Atkins, MDGeorgetown-Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer CenterWashington, DC

Dario A.A. Vignali, PhDUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Stephanie Roberson Barnard (Coach)Listen Write Present LLCGreensboro, North Carolina

Paul Casella (Coach)Health Care Communications GroupUniversity of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Iowa City, Iowa

Expert Faculty Judges. Back row (left to right): Michael B. Atkins, MD; Madhav V. Dhodapkar, MBBS; Dario A.A. Vignali, PhD. Front row (left to right): Patrick Hwu, MD; Catherine Bollard, MD, MBChB; Mario Sznol, MD; Jennifer Wargo, MD, MMSc; Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD; Zihai Li, MD, PhD.

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2019 Updates from IOYIF Participants

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS, NATIONAL MEETING PRESENTATIONS, AND AWARDS

JUNIOR FACULTYRESEARCH SCIENTIST AND CLINICIAN SCIENTIST

Hirva Mamdani, MDPresentationHirva M, Bryan S, Laith A, et al. Safety and efficacy of durvalumab following multimodality therapy for locally advanced esoph-ageal and GEJ adenocarcinoma: results from the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Study. Presented at: American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting; June 3, 2019; Chicago, Illinois. Abstract 4058.

Yinghong Wang, MD, PhDPublicationAbu-Sheih H, Ali FS, Nagash AR, et al. Resumption of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy after immune-mediated colitis. J Clin Oncol. 2019. [Epub ahead of print].

FELLOWSPHD/POST DOCTORAL AND CLINICAL FELLOW

Kristin Anderson, PhDPublication

Anderson KG, Voillet V, Bates BM, et al. Engineered adoptive T cell therapy prolongs survival in a preclinical model of advanced stage ovarian cancer. Accepted for publication in Cancer Immunology Research.

Rachel Burga, PhDPublication

Burga RA, Yvon E, Chorvinsky E, et al. Engineering the TGFβ receptor to enhance the therapeutic potential of natural killer cells as an immunotherapy for neuroblastoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2019. [Epub ahead of print].

Nils-Petter Rudqvist, PhDPublication

Lhuillier C, Rudqvist NP, Elemento O, et al. Radiation therapy and anti-tumor immunity: exposing immunogenic mutations to the immune system. Genome Med. 2019;11(1):40.

Mentorship sessions with professors were extremely helpful. I will apply a lot of their advice to everyday practice.

This conference allows us as young investigators to establish connections and collaborations that would likely not have occurred so early in our careers. Conferences geared towards

Young Investigators are one of the most important steps to finding future job opportunities.

Fantastic meeting. Please keep hosting, as it is invaluable for young investigators!

IOYIF allowed me to make new collaborations for my future projects and receive valuable career advice.

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2019 IOYIF Highlights PRESENTATION SKILLS ENHANCEMENT WORKSHOPTo augment the professional development aspects of the IOYIF, 2019 participants participated in individual coaching sessions by a team of experts from ListenWritePresent. Young Investigators who attended the one-on-one pre-program coaching sessions received expert advice and critique of their presentation and public speaking skills, and were given a copy of the book Writing, Speaking, & Communication Skills for Health Professionals, which was written by the ListenWritePresent team. In addition, the expert coaches provided participants with tips for effectively answering questions about and defending their research.

ALUMNAE GUESTJennifer Guerriero, PhD returned this year to share her experiences with attending the IOYIF and how it impacted her career. She was also available throughout the meeting to mentor and provide advice for the Young Investigators in attendance.

earch, by CategoryCChange in Confidence in Ability to Defend Reseand 4 is "Extremely Confident"Mean Confiddence on a Scale of 1 to 4, where 1 is "Not confident"

4.00

3.50

3.50

3.40

3.48

3.25

2.57

2.86

2.50

2.68

2.50 3.00 3.50 4.0000.0000 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00

Cliniccian ScScieientn ists (CS)

ClClininicicalal Fellows (CF)

Reseeararcch Scientists (RS)

PhD/Post-D-Dococtoral Researcchers(P(PHD)

All Particcipipants

Pre-Participation Mean Confidence ean ConfidencePost-Participation Me

<0.001

*

*

*

*

*

Interpretation of Results The change in mean confidence score for participants overall, as well as for each sub-group, was statistically significant ( <0.001), which indicates that

after participating in the forum.

MENTORING MOMENTSThroughout the meeting, members of the expert faculty judging panel provided 15-minute “mentoring moment” sessions on the topics of grant writing, the academic promotion system, work-life balance, choosing the right mentor, publishing a scientific paper, and achieving success in academics without a lab. These sessions offered the opportunity for experts to share real-life career experiences and pearls for the Young Investigators.

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6TH ANNUAL

IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY Young Investigators’ Forum

Abstract submission deadline and details coming this fall.

Please visit www.ioyif.com for more information and follow us on Twitter @IOYIForum.

See you next year!

March/April 2020The Houstonian Hotel

Houston, Texas