Back for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the sixth annual CRI-ENCI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference (CICON22) kicked off Thursday, September 28 in New York City with exciting sessions.
The first day of CICON22 focused on two of the most important types of immune cells in the context of cancer immunotherapy: T cells and myeloid cells. While T cells act as the foot soldiers of the immune system that directly target and eliminate tumor cells, myeloid cells play the role of generals within the tumor microenvironment and determine whether or T cell responses will be supported or suppressed. The immunological “temperature” of tumors—which myeloid cells mediate—often determines whether immunotherapy will be able to successfully eliminate a tumor.
To recap the day’s highlights and cover what you need to know from Day 1 of CICON22, we spoke with the University of Pennsylvania’s Ellen Puré, PhD, a longtime associate director of the CRI Scientific Advisory Council.
Dr. Ellen Puré is the Grace Lansing Lambert Professor of Biomedical Science, Director of the Penn Vet Cancer Center, and Professor and Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
Check back tomorrow for our coverage of Day 2 at CICON22!