Proceedings of the 2016 China Cancer Immunotherapy Workshop

Abstract

The highly anticipated 2016 China Cancer Immunotherapy Workshop held on June 25-26, 2016 in Beijing, China was a huge success. Built on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the 2015 China Cancer Immunotherapy Workshop, this event continued the tradition of being the leading forum for delivering authoritative and updated knowledge on the rapidly evolving field of immuno-oncology. The workshop represented the ongoing collaboration among three organizations: China Center for Food and Drug International Exchange (CCFDIE), the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), and the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON). Recent years have witnessed rapid and explosive developments in cancer immunotherapy which has been viewed as a "historic breakthrough" in cancer medicine. Scientists and physicians are engaged at the incredible pace in discovery and clinical development of new cancer immunotherapeutic agents. Patients eagerly expect more options for immunotherapy and they anticipate significant clinical benefit, even cure. In the meantime, these new advances and challenges necessitate physicians, scientists, and regulators to work together in an unprecedented way to learn and keep abreast of the latest developments in the field. World-leading experts from academia, regulatory agencies and industries shared their views and experiences in several thematic areas, organized into the following seven sessions: (1) basic immunology and cancer immunology; (2) clinical updates on checkpoint inhibitors; (3) emerging new immunotherapy; (4) perspective from industry; (5) clinical updates on cellular therapy; (6) unique clinical development considerations; and (7) regulatory considerations. As a result of demand from conference participants, the conference organizers decided to publish the proceedings of the meeting to benefit a broader readership of the Journal of Hematology and Oncology on the topic. Abstracts of all presentations are included except talks in Session 4 which highlighted the immune-oncology pipelines of the following biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies: Bristol- Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche/Genetech, AstraZeneca, Merck Sereno, Pfizer, Amgen, BeiGene, Henri, JW Biotechnology and InnoVent. The information is publically available in their respective websites.