Studies focus on molecular profiling, CAR T cell therapies, early detection and artificial intelligence applications in cancer research

Researchers with City of Hope^®, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, will present new findings at the AACR Annual Meeting, which will take place April 5 to 10 in San Diego.

This year, City of Hope doctors and scientists will also present data during AACR’s Press Program and a clinical trials plenary session:

• Monday, April 8, 2024, at 8:30 a.m.
  
  Research by Ajay Goel, Ph.D., M.S., City of Hope professor and chair, Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics, and Caiming Xu, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Goel’s lab, will be presented at an AACR press conference. The abstract is titled “An exosome-based liquid biopsy for non-invasive, early detection of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A multicenter and prospective study.”

• Sunday, April 7, 2024, at 1 to 3 p.m.
  
  Sumanta Kumar Pal, M.D., City of Hope chair, kidney and bladder cancer disease team, will present on “CTX130 allogeneic CRISPR-Cas9-engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma: Long-term follow-up and translational data from the Phase 1 COBALT-RCC study” during a clinical trials plenary session called, Beyond Immune Checkpoint Inhibition: Novel Immunotherapy Strategies.

Additional data presentations include:

• “Multi-omics characterization of molecular features and global-local genomic ancestry analysis of colorectal cancer in Hispanic-Latinos”
  
  Minisymposium session 3932: Monday, April 8, 2024, 3:35 to 3:50 p.m.
  
  To investigate why Hispanic/Latino colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in Los Angeles face mortality rates up to 20% higher than their Caucasian counterparts, City of Hope’s Enrique Velazquez Villarreal, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S., City of Hope assistant professor, Department of Integrative Translational Sciences, and John D. Carpten, Ph.D., City of Hope's chief scientific officer, Irell & Manella Cancer Center Director's Distinguished Chair and Morgan & Helen Chu Director's Chair of the Beckman Research Institute, along with a team of researchers, searched for mutations in CRC tumors by utilizing molecular profiling technologies. Results yielded important insights into the molecular characterization of CRC tumors and the multifaceted clinical and genomic heterogeneity within Hispanic/Latino populations, as well as crucial information on CRC tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment.
  
  
  
  
• “Microbiome modification impacts PSCA directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for prostate cancer”
  
  Poster presentation 6676/7: Wednesday, April 10, 2024, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
  
  John Murad, Ph.D., a staff scientist in the laboratory of Saul J. Priceman, Ph.D., City of Hope associate professor, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, and colleagues developed methods to evaluate the impact of microbiome manipulation in the team’s established syngeneic PSCA+ prostate cancer mouse model. They found that the model was sensitive to microbiome modulation and that the use of patient-derived human fecal matter transfers can significantly impact PSCA-CAR T cell directed anti-tumor responses.

Late-Breaking Presentation

• Wednesday, April 10, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
  
  Stephen Gruber, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., vice president, City of Hope National Medical Center, Evan and Ming Hsieh Family Director’s Chair of the Center for Precision Medicine and medical oncologist, will report on findings from an international team of researchers’ work investigating “Artificial intelligence measures of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes predict colorectal cancer-specific and overall survival.” His presentation is titled “Late-Breaking Research: Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, and Convergent Science 3.”

Symposiums and Educational Sessions

• Marcel van den Brink, M.D., Ph.D., president of City of Hope Los Angeles and City of Hope National Medical Center, and Deana and Steve Campbell Chief Physician Executive Distinguished Chair, will lead a major symposium as chair of The Microbiome and Treatment Response to Cancer Therapy, to be held on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. He will also present on “The role of the intestinal microbiome in cancer immunotherapy,” discussing clinical and preclinical studies that demonstrate how changes in the gut microbiome can affect outcomes after hematopoietic cell transplantation and CAR T cell therapy.
• John D. Carpten, Ph.D., will chair and serve as a featured speaker for the presentation “Molecular Profiling in Breast Cancer and Racial/Ethnic Minorities: Dedicated to the Memory of Edith P. Mitchell.”
• Michael Caligiuri, M.D., City of Hope professor, Division of Leukemia, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, is the chair for an educational session on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. titled, The Road to Entrepreneurship. Industry experts will discuss how to get started, review criteria and find investors.
• Michael Caligiuri, M.D., will also chair the inaugural AACR event called From Cancer Discoveries to Patients on April 4 and 5. The event brings together leaders in clinical research, biotech and the investment community as part of AACR’s commitment to expediting the advancement of lifesaving cancer discoveries.

About City of Hope

City of Hope's mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. Founded in 1913, City of Hope has grown into one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. City of Hope research has been the basis for numerous breakthrough cancer medicines, as well as human synthetic insulin and monoclonal antibodies. With an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center at its core, City of Hope brings a uniquely integrated model to patients spanning cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and innovation initiatives. City of Hope’s growing national system includes its Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California, a new cancer center in Orange County, California, and cancer treatment centers and outpatient facilities in the Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix areas. City of Hope’s affiliated group of organizations includes Translational Genomics Research Institute and AccessHope™. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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