UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Presents at AACR 2024

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh faculty and researchers will be well-represented at the 2024 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, which takes place April 5-10 in San Diego. View the full list below.

SUNDAY – APRIL 7

Greg Delgoffe, PhD
Major Symposium – Immunometabolism
1:00-2:30 pm Ballroom 20 AB – Upper Level
Immune and cancer cells both carry immense metabolic demands to support their function. It has now been appreciated that the metabolic balance between immune, cancer, and systemic metabolism can influence cancer progression and the outcomes of cancer therapies. In this session, we will discuss how metabolic modulation and reprogramming at the cellular, microenvironmental, and systemic level can alter immune responses to cancer.

Anwaar Saeed, MD
Poster - Application of Bioinformatics to Cancer Biology 1
1:30-5 – Sect 36
Title 866 / 10 - Identification of survival-associated epithelial cell markers linked to TROP2 through single-cell and bulk sequencing analysis.
In this study, we aim to investigate the effects of the ADC target TROP2, on the level of epithelial cells and its correlation with survival outcomes in CRC patients.

Erica Braverman, MD
PO – Adoptive Cell therapies 2: CAR-T Cells
Poster – Driving AMPK signaling in CD4+ CART cells enhances metabolic capacity, memory formation and anti-leukemia activity
1:30 – 5:00 PM - Section 2 
45 / 13 - Driving AMPK signaling in CD4+ CART cells enhances metabolic capacity, memory formation, and anti-leukemia activity

J.C. Schmitz, PhD
PO – Kinase and Phosphatase Inhibitors 1 
1:30-5:00 PM – Sect 25
606/16 - 45/13 The PLK1 inhibitor, onvansertib, synergizes with paclitaxel in small cell lung cancer

Robert Ferris, MD, PhD - Discussant 
Clinical Trials Plenary Session - Novel Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Combinations
3:30 – 5:30 PM – Hall GH – Ground Level
Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck 

Greg Delgoffe, PhD
AACR Cancer Immunology Working Group Town Hall
TM02 - Crosstalk of Immune Cells and Metabolic Pathways in the Tumor-Immune Microenvironment: A Cancer Immunology Working Group Town Hall Meeting
6-8 PM Sapphire Ballroom – Hilton Bayfront Hotel

All Annual Meeting attendees are invited to participate in this special evening session hosted by Dr. Kunle Odunsi, Chair of the AACR Cancer Immunology Working Group. The 2024 CIMM Town Hall will feature three presentations from experts in the cancer immunology community on the theme of "Crosstalk of Immune Cells and Metabolic Pathways in the Tumor-immune Microenvironment" followed by a panel discussion. The Town Hall also includes a Networking Reception at the beginning and conclusion of the session.

CHECKPOINTS - Manchester Grand Hyatt ballroom

MONDAY – APRIL 8

Kayla Stanley - MD Program, Class of 2026
9:00 – 12:30 PM
Poster Board Number: 2
Title: GD2 targeted dual-labeled intraoperative molecular imaging probe for neuroblastoma 
Published Abstract Number: 2575 
Session Category: Clinical Research 
Session Title: Translational Research: Imaging and Radiomics 

Elham Nasrollahi, MD - PGY-2 Internal Medicine Resident; UPMC Harrisburg
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM 
Location: Poster Section 31
Poster Board Number: 2
Published Abstract Number: 2135 
Title: Racial disparities in symptom burden among women receiving early stage breast cancer chemotherapy
Session Category: Prevention / Early Detection / Interception
Session Title: Health Disparities Across the Cancer Continuum

Sawa Ito, MD, PhD
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM 
Location: Poster Section 49
Poster Board Number: 22
Abstract Presentation Number: CT143
Title: IFN-γ and donor leukocyte infusion to treat relapsed myeloblastic malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Session Title: Phase 0 and Phase I Clinical Trials

Sawa Ito, MD, PhD
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM 
Location: Poster Section 47
Poster Board Number: 16
Published Abstract Number: 3855 
Title: Kinetics of neoantigen-specific T cells in post-transplant relapse
Session Category: Clinical Research
Session Title: Tumor Immune Response 2

Yu-Chiao (Chris) Chiu, PhD
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: Poster Section 35
Poster Board Number: 16
Published Abstract Number: 3524 
Title: Leveraging ChatGPT for literature-based inference of drug-gene relationships in cancer
Session Category: Bioinformatics / Computational Biology / Systems Biology / Convergent Science
Session Title: Artificial Intelligence and Machine/Deep Learning 2

This study aims to prototype a literature-based inference for drug-gene relationships in the context of cancer using ChatGPT, marking an exploratory effort in this emerging domain. Our approach involves developing an automated pipeline that integrates the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) of PubMed and ChatGPT, specifically GPT-3.5. Given a gene, a drug, and a disease, the pipeline searches PubMed for relevant articles and extracts their abstracts. 

Sumin Jo and Yufei Huang
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM 
Location: Poster Section 35
Poster Board Number: 20
Published Abstract Number: 3528
Title: Constructing knowledge graph of N6-methyladnosion regulations in cancer from literature using ChatGPT-4
Session Category: Bioinformatics / Computational Biology / Systems Biology / Convergent Science
Session Title: Artificial Intelligence and Machine/Deep Learning 2

TUESDAY – APRIL 9

Jeremy Rich, MD – Chairperson 
2:30-4:30 PM – Mini Symposium – Chromatin and Transcriptional Regulatory Mechanisms in Cancer

Yu-Chiao (Chris) Chiu, PhD
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM 
Title: A user-friendly R Shiny web app for predicting cancer genetic dependencies using deep learning
Session Category: Bioinformatics / Computational Biology / Systems Biology / Convergent Science
Session Title: Artificial Intelligence and Machine/Deep Learning 3
Session Date and Time: Tuesday Apr 9
Location: Poster Section 36
Poster Board Number: 17
Published Abstract Number: 4921 

Addressing this challenge, we previously developed a deep learning model, namely DeepDEP, to predict cancer genetic dependencies using multi-omic profiles. DeepDEP has a transfer learning scheme that integrates genomic representations captured from unlabeled tumor samples of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and genomic features that are predictive of genetic dependencies in cell lines. Such a design enables the application of DeepDEP to both cell lines and tumors. The model demonstrated superior performance compared to various conventional machine learning methods.  In summary, this user-friendly web application provides researchers with access to deep learning predictions of cancer genetic dependencies with various interactive visualization and analysis tools. It is anticipated that this application will facilitate the study of cancer genetic dependencies and enhance the efficiency of anti-cancer drug discovery.

WEDNESDAY – APRIL 10

Ya-Yun Cheng 
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Poster Section 14
Poster Board Number: 19
Published Abstract Number: 6995 
Title: Functional characterization of the novel cell adhesion molecule MPZL3 in ovarian cancer
Session Category: Molecular/Cellular Biology and Genetics
Session Title: Elucidating Mechanisms of Oncogenic Action

Tullia Bruno, PhD
Major Symposium
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM Ballroom 6 CF - Upper Level - Convention Center
Title: Harnessing B cells and tertiary lymphoid structures for improved immunotherapeutics

The advent of the current cancer immunotherapy era, based on the success of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) inhibiting programmed death-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), has revolutionized the standard of care for cancer treatment. However, the limited response rates to ICB across multiple cancer types suggest that new approaches and targets are clearly needed in order to increase the population of patients achieving durable cancer remission (cure). The symposium will focus on recent breakthrough discoveries in the field, including new immune modulatory mechanisms and checkpoints, and on unleashing the therapeutic potential of B cells- and G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)-targeting strategies as part of novel, multimodal precision immunotherapies enhancing the response of ICB for a myriad of human malignancies.

Marlies Meisel, PhD – chairperson
Major Symposium – Tumor Microbiome
10:15-11:45 AM
Room 28 – Upper Level
Presentation: Exploring pro-and antitumor mechanisms of intratumoral microbes 
10:20-10:40 

The relationship between the human microbiome and cancer is a complex and evolving area of research. The human microbiome has been found to interact with the host in various body sites. While few microbes directly cause cancer, many appear to be complicit, and some may even promote the host's antitumor immunity. The microbiome's influence on cancer is multifaceted, involving aspects such as immune responses, genotoxicity, and metabolism. This session will focus on ongoing research to evaluate the clinical utility of understanding the roles of microbes in cancer and to explore potential therapeutic implications. While the field of microbiome and cancer research has grown significantly in recent years, further studies are needed to fully characterize the human microbiome and its relationship with cancer risk, including the study of fungi, protists, and viruses in addition to bacteria and archaea.