Sections
Sections
AACR Fellow Crystal L. Mackall MD, FAACR, delivers a keynote address on “CAR T cell therapies for solid cancers” at the AACR IO Conference on Discovery and Innovation in Cancer Immunology.AACR is at the epicenter of the cancer research community, bringing together critical stakeholders and forging the collaborations needed to expand the frontiers of cancer science and medicine and drive progress for cancer patients.
AACR shapes the landscape of cancer research through its scientific task forces, convening experts from multiple disciplines to define, evaluate, and foster emerging areas of inquiry. Task forces focus attention and resources on these promising areas, drawing new investigators into the field to accelerate discovery. AACR launched two new task forces in 2025:
Continued progress against cancer depends on a diverse workforce that is supported at all career levels and trained to make the next wave of paradigm-shifting discoveries. AACR took bold steps in 2025 to sustain and expand the pipeline of cancer scientists and clinicians.
In March, to ensure the stability and readiness of the cancer research enterprise, AACR reorganized several existing departments and created new ones to establish an Education Division with a stronger focus on the recruitment, education, and training of AACR members. The new division consists of five departments, each of which is optimized to meet a critical need of AACR members:
In 2025, AACR celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Student Member category, which provides high school, undergraduate, and postbaccalaureate students with an opportunity to participate in scientific programs and professional development activities.
AACR meetings and educational workshops bring the latest advances in cancer science to researchers around the world. AACR worked with seven scientific organizations and institutions to convene 26 meetings and workshops in five countries in 2025, exploring and advancing the frontiers of cutting-edge cancer science.
The 2025 meeting series included a new conference designed to set the research agenda for the cancer immunology community. The AACR IO conference on Discovery and Innovation in Cancer Immunology (held February 23–26 in Los Angeles) showcased the latest basic, translational, and clinical research in immunology, inflammation, and immunotherapies for cancer, including immuno-oncology drugs, inflammatory modulators, vaccines, and cellular therapies. Chaired by former AACR President Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR, the inaugural edition of this annual conference featured nine keynote addresses by leaders in the field, including seven Fellows of the AACR Academy—led by Nobel Laureate James P. Allison, PhD, FAACR.
Another new conference in 2025 addressed an issue of critical concern to the cancer research community. The incidence of early-onset cancers (occurring before age 50) has been rapidly increasing over the past 50 years, likely due to changing patterns of exposure in early life. The first-ever AACR Special Conference on the Rise in Early-Onset Cancers (held December 10–13 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) explored the causes and mechanisms of development of early-onset cancers and discussed how to apply that knowledge to interventions. Organized by Cochairs Andrea Cercek, MD, former AACR President Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, and Timothy R. Rebbeck, PhD, FAACR, the conference featured keynote addresses by Tomi Akinyemiju, PhD, and Leonardo Trasande, MD.
TRANSLATING TARGETED THERAPIES IN COMBINATION WITH RADIOTHERAPY
In Association With the AACR Precision Combination Therapy Task Force
January 26–29; San Diego, California
Cochairs: Silvia C. Formenti, MD, FAACR, Albert C. Koong, MD, PhD, and Quynh-Thu Le, MD
DNA METHYLATION, CLONAL HEMATOPOIESIS, AND CANCER
February 1–4; San Diego, California
Cochairs: Stephen B. Baylin, MD, FAACR, Margaret A. Goodell, PhD, FAACR, and Peter A. Jones, PhD, DSc, FAACR
13TH AACR-JCA JOINT CONFERENCE: FROM CANCER DISCOVERY SCIENCE TO THERAPEUTIC INNOVATION
February 1–5; Maui, Hawaii
Organizing Committee Cochairs: Catherine J. Wu, MD, FAACR, and Hiroyuki Mano, MD, PhD
AACR IO
DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION IN CANCER IMMUNOLOGY: REVOLUTIONIZING TREATMENT THROUGH IMMUNOTHERAPY
February 23–26; Los Angeles, California
Chair: Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR
FUNCTIONAL AND GENOMIC PRECISION MEDICINE IN CANCER: DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, COMMON GOALS
March 11–13; Boston, Massachusetts
Cochairs: Anthony G. Letai, MD, PhD, Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, FAACR, and Peter Horak, MD, PhD, and Alice Soragni, PhD
AACR ONCOLOGY INDUSTRY PARTNERING EVENT
April 24–25; Chicago, Illinois
Cochairs: Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, FAACR, Christiana Bardon, MD, MBA, and William N. Hait, MD, PhD, FAACR
AACR ANNUAL MEETING 2025
April 25–30; Chicago, Illinois
Chairs: Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, and Matthew G. Vander Heiden, MD, PhD
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MALIGNANT LYMPHOMA (ICML)
In Cooperation With the AACR
June 17–21; Lugano, Switzerland
Organizing Committee Chairman: Francesco Bertoni, MD
THIRD JCA-AACR PRECISION CANCER MEDICINE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: NEW FRONTIERS IN PRECISION CANCER MEDICINE THROUGH INNOVATIVE MODALITIES
June 28–30; Kyoto, Japan
Chairs: Victor Velculescu, MD, PhD, FAACR, and Motohiro Kato, MD, PhD
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING
July 10–12; Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Cochairs: Valentina Boeva, PhD, Marzyeh Ghassemi, PhD, Benjamin Haibe-Kains, PhD, and Bo Wang, PhD
THE SCIENCE OF CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES
In Association With the AACR Minorites in Cancer Research Council (MICR)
September 18–21; Baltimore, Maryland
Cochairs: Ysabel Duron, Christopher R. Flowers, MD, Scarlett L. Gomez, MPH, PhD, Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, and Lauren E. McCullough, PhD
ADVANCES IN OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH
September 19–21; Denver, Colorado
Cochairs: Ronald J. Bukanovich, MD, PhD, Jung-Min Lee, MD, Elizabeth M. Swisher, MD, and Oladapo Yeku, MD, PhD
MECHANISMS OF CANCER IMMUNITY AND CANCER-RELATED AUTOIMMUNITY
In Association With the AACR Cancer Immunology Working Group
September 24–27; Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Cochairs: Ana C. Anderson, PhD, Sandra Demaria, MD, Adekunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, and E. John Wherry, PhD, FAACR
DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION IN PEDIATRIC CANCER: FROM BIOLOGY TO BREAKTHROUGH THERAPIES
In Association With the AACR Pediatric Cancer Working Group
September 25–28; Boston, Massachusetts
Cochairs: Alanna J. Church, MD, Meredith S. Irwin, MD, and Charles W.M. Roberts, MD, PhD
ADVANCES IN PANCREATIC CANCER RESEARCH: EMERGING SCIENCE DRIVING TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTIONS
September 28–October 1; Boston, Massachusetts
Cochairs: Andrew J. Aguirre, MD, PhD, Edna Cukierman, PhD, Susan Tsai, MD, MHS, David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR, and Laura DeLong Wood, MD, PhD
AACR-NCI-EORTC INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MOLECULAR TARGETS AND CANCER THERAPEUTICS
October 22–26; Boston, Massachusetts
Scientific Committee Cochairs: Ryan B. Corcoran, MD, PhD, Tim F. Greten, MD, and Elena Garralda, MD, PhD
AACR-KCA JOINT CONFERENCE ON PRECISION MEDICINE IN CANCER
November 13–15; Busanjin-gu, Korea
Cochairs: Se-Hoon Lee, MD, PhD, and Ricky W. Johnstone, PhD
CANCER EVOLUTION: THE DYNAMICS OF PROGRESSION AND PERSISTENCE
In Association With the AACR Cancer Evolution Working Group
December 4–6; Albuquerque, New Mexico
Cochairs: Mariam Jamal-Hanjani, MD, PhD, Kenneth J. Pienta, MD, and Mara H. Sherman, PhD
SAN ANTONIO BREAST CANCER SYMPOSIUM
December 9–12; San Antonio, Texas
Codirectors: Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, FAACR, and Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD
THE RISE IN EARLY ONSET CANCERS: KNOWLEDGE GAPS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
December 10–13; Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Cochairs: Andrea Cercek, MD, Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, and Timothy R. Rebbeck, PhD, FAACR
EORTC-ESMO-AACR METHODS IN CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH WORKSHOP
June 14–19; Sint-Michielsgestel, Netherlands
Codirectors: Saskia Litiere, PhD, Christoph Massard, MD, PhD, and Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), FAACR
ASCO/AACR METHODS IN CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
July 20–25; La Jolla, California
Codirectors: Julie M. Vose, MBA, MD, Wendy B. London, PhD, and Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, FRCP
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
July 20–26; Coronado, California
Director: Ross L. Levine, MD
Codirectors: Christine M. Lovly, MD, PhD, and Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD
INTEGRATIVE MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY: BRIDGING CANCER BIOLOGY AND PRECISION MEDICINE
July 21–25; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Codirectors: Sophia H.L. George, PhD, Peter Kraft, PhD, and Elizabeth A. Platz, MPH, ScD
TRANSLATIONAL CANCER RESEARCH FOR BASIC SCIENTISTS
October 5–10; Cambridge, Massachusetts
Codirectors: Ryan B. Corcoran, MD, PhD, George D. Demetri, MD, FAACR, and Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, FAACR
THE ROBERT A. WINN EXCELLENCE IN CLINICAL TRIALS AWARD PROGRAM: WINN-AACR DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CLINICAL TRIALS WORKSHOP
November 17–21; Albuquerque, New Mexico
Codirectors: Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, Priscilla E. Pemu, MD, Yu Shyr, PhD, FAACR, and Robert A. Winn, MD, FAACR
