Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Demonstrates Leadership and Showcases Latest Advances in Immunotherapy at SITC 2025 Annual Meeting

Ira Mellman, PhD, President of Research, to receive SITC's Richard V. Smalley Memorial Award for his significant contributions to the advancement of cancer immunotherapy research

PICI leaders, investigators, and collaborators contributing to more than 75 posters, presentations, and panels throughout the meeting

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI), today announced that research and expertise from across its network will be showcased at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) from November 5–9 in National Harbor, Maryland. PICI leaders, investigators and collaborators are contributing to 80 posters, presentations and discussions throughout the 40th anniversary program – a significant presence that highlights the organization's commitment to accelerating the development of breakthrough immune therapies for cancer.

Notably, PICI's President of Research, Ira Mellman, PhD, will receive SITC's 2025 Richard V. Smalley Memorial Award, which is given to a recognizable luminary in the field that has significantly contributed to the advancement of cancer immunotherapy research. Dr. Mellman is a distinguished cell biologist and member of the National Academy of Sciences. His pioneering work has been critical to the development of groundbreaking cancer therapies, including Tecentriq® (atezolizumab), patient-specific neo-antigen mRNA and DNA vaccines, T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies and novel immunotherapies such as tiragolumab (anti-TIGIT). Dr. Mellman will receive the award and present, "The Coming Renaissance of Cancer Immunotherapy" on Saturday, November 8th (8:05-8:55 AM ET, Potomac Ballroom).

PICI CEO Karen Knudsen, MBA, PhD, will also participate in a panel discussion, "The Momentum and Future of Cancer Research Funding" on Saturday, November 8th (12:30-1:30 PM ET, Cherry Blossom Ballroom). In the session, Dr. Knudsen will join leaders from key research funding agencies that are actively shaping the cancer research landscape to discuss sustaining momentum in cancer research and funding models to accelerate discovery and drive therapeutic breakthroughs.

"The breadth of PICI science featured at SITC this year – reflecting everything from next-gen cell therapies to applying artificial intelligence – reflects the strength of the PICI model that unites academic excellence, industry expertise, and entrepreneurial innovation," said Dr. Knudsen. "Through our investigators and portfolio companies, we are developing and accelerating access to breakthrough cancer therapies and curating innovation from discovery to commercialization, with the vision of converting all cancers to curable diseases."

Presentation Highlights from the Network

Engineering Smarter Cell Therapies
PICI investigators are redefining how engineered immune cells can safely and effectively target tumors. Through innovations like CRISPR editing, logic-gated circuits, and synthetic control of CAR and TCR activity, researchers are driving the next generation of precision cellular immunotherapies.

• Primer on Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy Workshop - Update on CAR-T cell Therapies (Pre-Conference Workshop, Thursday, November 6)
  • Speaker: Carl H. June, MD, Director of the PICI Center at University of Penn
    
    
• UCCT-BCMA-1: A First-in-Human, Non-Viral CRISPR-Engineered CAR T Cell Therapy Targeting BCMA in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (Top 150Abstract 247, Poster Presentation, Friday, November 7)
  • Presenting author: PICI Investigator Ke Li, PhD (University of California, San Francisco)
  • Co-authors: PICI Investigators David Y. Oh, MD, PhD (University of California, San Francisco); Alexander Marson, MD, PhD (Gladstone Institutes); Justin Eyquem, PhD (University of California, San Francisco); Brian Shy, MD, PhD (University of California, San Francisco)
    
    
• Targeting tumor-associated macrophages with CAR-Monocytes as a first-in-class approach for cellular therapy in breast cancer (Abstract 254, Oral Presentation, Young Investigator Award, Saturday, November 8)
  • Co-author: PICI Investigator Rizwan Romee, MD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
    
    
• Engineered T cell therapy combined with PD-1, Lag-3 and Tim-3 checkpoint inhibition promotes pro-inflammatory CD4 T cell differentiation in an ovarian cancer mouse model (Abstract 339, Poster Presentation, Friday, November 7)
  
  • Co-author: PICI Investigator Philip D. Greenberg, MD (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center)
    
    
• Discovery and characterization of human T cell receptors that recognize tumor-associated antigens derived from tumor suppressors p16INK4A and p14ARF ( Abstract 345 , Poster Presentation, Friday, November 7)
  • Co-author: PICI Investigator Philip D. Greenberg, MD (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center)
    
    
• Tuning CAR-T cells by targeting cancer-associated glycan in pancreatic cancer; Augmenting Notch1 to enhance CD19-BBz CAR-T therapy (Abstract 262, Poster Presentation, Saturday, November 8)
  • Co-author: PICI Extramural Researcher Marcela Maus, MD, PhD (Massachusetts General Hospital)
    
    
• AB-3028: Dual-targeting sequential AND logic gated CAR T cell for potential mCRPC therapeutic; Programmable Circuit T cells encoding multiplexed shRNAs and logic-gates for mCRPC (Abstract 303, Poster Presentation, Friday, November 7)
  • Presenting author: PICI Portfolio Company ArsenalBio

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Driving Discovery 
From tumor profiling to CAR-T optimization, AI is accelerating discovery and decision-making in immuno-oncology. PICI researchers are leveraging multimodal data and large language models to predict toxicity, design smarter therapies, and redefine how data informs innovation.

• Leveraging the Power of Artificial Intelligence to Foster Progress in Immuno-oncology: Opportunities and Challenge - A Post-Data World – LLMs and the End of Data Paralysis (Pre-Conference Workshop, Thursday, November 6)
  • Speaker: PICI Investigator Garry P. Nolan, PhD (Stanford Medicine)
    
    
• Rational CAR T cell design via attention-based multiple instance learning of infusion product scRNA-seq data (Abstract 1126, Poster Presentation, Saturday, November 8)
  • Co-authors: PICI Investigators Crystal L. Mackall, MD (Stanford Medicine); David Miklos, MD, PhD (Stanford Medicine); Zinaida Good, PhD (Stanford Medicine)
    
    
• A Pan-Cancer Single-Cell Multimodal Atlas of Antigen-Specific T Cells and Scalable Framework for Mapping Antigen Specificity (Top 150,Abstract 1112, Oral Presentation, Young Investigator Award, Saturday, November 8)
  • Co-author: PICI Investigator Roberta Zappasodi, PhD (Weill Cornell Medicine)
    
    
• Pre-treatment predictive modeling of immune-related adverse event risk in immune checkpoint blockade therapy: A multi-modal machine learning approach from a real-world setting - RADIOHEAD Cohort Study (Abstract 1094, Poster Presentation, Saturday, November 8)
  • Co-authors: PICI Chief Scientific Officer John Connolly, PhD; PICI Research Director EnJun Yang, PhD
    
    
• gx1: Virtual Target Identification for Overcoming T Cell Exhaustion (Abstract 1125, Poster Presentation, Friday, November 7)
  • Presenting author: PICI Portfolio Company ArsenalBio

About the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization driving the next generation of cancer treatment by accelerating the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases. Founded in 2016 through the vision of Sean Parker, PICI unites the nation's top cancer centers into a collaborative consortium that fuels high-risk, high-reward science with shared goals, data, and infrastructure. Unlike traditional research models, PICI goes beyond discovery by actively advancing promising innovations through clinical testing, company formation and incubation, and commercialization. PICI has supported more than 1,000 investigators across its network and has a portfolio that includes 17 biotech ventures with over $4 billion raised in capital. PICI is uniquely positioned to close the gap between scientific discovery and patient access. By integrating scientific excellence with entrepreneurial execution, PICI is reimagining how cures are made and accelerating their path to the people who need them most. Learn more at www.parkerici.org.

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SOURCE Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy