In February, the Foundation partnered with the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) to convene scientists and clinicians to discuss the current status and future directions of focused ultrasound research as it relates to cancer immunotherapy.
The workshop brought nearly 30 investigators together in New York for a meeting, which was summarized in the February Newsletter. The presentations and outcomes can be found in the Workshop Summary. The meeting’s success laid the groundwork for future collaborations between the Foundation and CRI.
Established in 1953, the CRI is dedicated exclusively to harnessing the immune system’s power to conquer all cancers. Thanks to their efforts, and more than 60 years of financial investment and research, cancer immunotherapy has matured into a significant field of medical research. For the last decade, CRI has focused on combination therapies because of the potential for magnified results.
At the February workshop, participants explored the potential role of focused ultrasound to enhance the immune response at various steps within the cancer immunity cycle, including the different focused ultrasound mechanisms that may induce an immune response. Preclinical studies are underway to explore the immune system’s response to focused ultrasound and to assess focused ultrasound in combination with existing immunotherapies. Standardization is needed so that researchers can compare results and build a cohesive body of evidence. Participants will reach out to collaborate with immunology experts during protocol design and assessment and also consider how the capture of immunotherapy data might be included in existing focused ultrasound oncology studies. A list of workshop participants can be found in the Workshop Summary.
CRI is partnering with the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy, the European Academy of Tumor Immunology, and the American Association for Cancer Research to co-sponsor the first International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference, which will take place September 27-30, 2015 at the Sheraton Times Square in New York City.