Live Updates From the AACR Annual Meeting 2026: Saturday, April 18
Good morning, and welcome to day two of Cancer Research Catalyst’s live coverage of the AACR Annual Meeting 2026. Once again, we will be sharing updates throughout the day, including more coverage of the Educational Program, the AACR Runners for Research 5K Run/Walk, the start of the clinical trials program, the Discovery Science Plenary, and much more.
If you missed our live updates from yesterday, catch up on what happened on Friday.
Live Coverage
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2:20 p.m. – Clinical Trial Results: Long-term Updates on Approved Immunotherapies
With a record number of clinical trial abstracts—265—this year’s clinical trials program has been expanded to include five Clinical Trials Minisymposia, starting with two today.
“The expanded number of Minisymposia will provide attendees insights into exciting developments across the spectrum of clinical research, from early-phase results of novel therapeutic strategies, a session focused on biomarker-driven approaches, to long-term updates on approved treatments,” Jayesh Desai, MBBS, of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and a cochair of this year’s Annual Meeting Clinical Trials Committee, explained to AACR Annual Meeting News.
Among the trials presented at this morning’s session, “Updates in Anticancer Immunotherapies,” were two of those long-term updates on approved treatments. Atezolizumab (Tecentriq) was approved for patients with alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS)—an ultra-rare cancer with incidence rates highest among 15- to 35-year-olds—in December 2022 based on early results from an ongoing phase II clinical trial. As of June 2025, 54 patients have been enrolled in the trial with the duration of atezolizumab response ranging between 10 and 69 months.
“Because many patients experienced durable responses and remained on immunotherapy for several years, we wanted to understand the potential long-term effects of this treatment, particularly for adolescents and young adults with ASPS who may receive immunotherapy for extended periods,” Alice P. Chen, MD, of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), explained in an AACR press release about the study.
Seventeen patients—between the ages of 11 and 56 with a median age of 29—received either atezolizumab or atezolizumab followed by atezolizumab plus the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor bevacizumab (Avastin) for more than two years. Of these patients, one who was receiving atezolizumab plus bevacizumab experienced grade 3 aspartate aminotransferase (AST), which can be a sign of liver damage; another who was receiving the combination therapy experienced grade 2 hypertension—or high blood pressure—and grade 2 proteinuria, which can be a sign of kidney damage; and one who was receiving atezolizumab monotherapy experienced grade 2 pruritus, which is an itchy feeling causing one to scratch their skin.
“Among patients who received immunotherapy for longer than two years, we did not observe evidence of increased toxicity and this finding held even among patients treated for more than five years,” Chen said. “This is especially important for adolescents and young adults with ASPS, who may live for many years with metastatic disease.”
Further, Chen explained that none of the atezolizumab-related TRAEs resulted in individuals discontinuing with the study and all the symptoms were eventually resolved.
In another presentation, Anna Maria Di Giacomo, PhD, MD, of the University of Siena in Italy, shared 10-year survival data from the phase III NIBIT-M2 study examining treatment with fotemustine, fotemustine and ipilimumab (Yervoy), or ipilimumab and nivolumab (Opdivo) for patients with melanoma who have asymptomatic brain metastases. From January 2013 to September 2018, 23 patients were treated with fotemustine, 26 were treated with fotemustine and ipilimumab, and 27 were treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab.
After a median follow-up of 125 months, patients in the ipilimumab and nivolumab arm had a higher median overall survival (29.2 months), 10-year overall survival rate (31.2%), and intracranial progression-free survival (28.8%), compared with those in the fotemustine arm (8.5 months, 13%, and 4.3%, respectively) and the fotemustine and ipilimumab arm (8.2 months, 7.7%, and 7.7%, respectively).
Further, Di Giacomo explained how tumor fraction and a tumor-specific methylation score (T-meth Score) calculated using cell-free DNA may serve as biomarkers to predict long-term survival. Patients were stratified at baseline based on median tumor fraction and T-meth Scores, and those with tumor fraction and a T-meth Score below median values had significantly higher median overall survival.
12:45 p.m. – Meet With Potential Employers at the Career Fair
The AACR Cancer and Biomedical Research Career Fair—a premier recruiting event for scientists at all career levels—is still going on in Hall G of the convention center. Job seekers can meet with exhibitors from academia, government, and industry, including:
- Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore
- Fulgent Genetics
- Moffitt Cancer Center
- National Cancer Institute
- Pacific Permanente Group
- Provider Solutions & Development by Providence
- Rutgers Cancer Institute
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Science Careers
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- The University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center
- UT Southwestern Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and Graduate School
- American Association for Cancer Research
Additionally, anyone who creates a new profile on CancerCareers.org is entered to win one of three prizes: an Apple iPad, a $250 AMEX gift card, and a $150 AMEX gift card.
The Career Fair will end at 3 p.m., so be sure to stop by before then.
12:15 p.m. – Applying Spatial Multiomics to Study Neural-immune Circuits
During this morning’s Educational Session on “Mapping Neural-Immune Circuits: Spatial Multiomics in the Tumor Microenvironment,” speakers examined spatial technologies and the ways they are being applied to understand the roles of neural and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.
“The tumor microenvironment is now understood to be a deeply neural-immune ecosystem. Neural and immune cells don’t operate in isolation but interact in ways that meaningfully shape cancer progression and response to therapy,” said session chair Amit Moran, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in an interview with Cancer Research Catalyst.
He added that the goal of the session was to give researchers practical insights into spatial multiomics so that they can interrogate these neural-immune circuits in their own research programs.
To that end, Logan Walsh, PhD, of McGill University, kicked off the session by giving attendees a primer on spatial multiomics technologies, as well as considerations for platform selection, tissue handling, and image analysis when using these tools. He explained that spatial multiomics allow researchers to understand how variables such as gene expression, protein expression, epigenetic modifications, and metabolic alterations vary across the three-dimensional space of the tumor microenvironment. When analyzed over time, these tools can help capture the changes that occur as a tumor develops, evolves, and progresses.
Currently available technologies use fluorophores, positional barcodes, or metal tags in conjunction with microscopy, sequencing, or mass spectrometry to map various types of omics data—which can then be used to identify where cells are located (a process known as segmentation), and to determine each cell’s phenotype or activation state, Walsh explained.
William Hwang, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, then discussed how these technologies have been applied to better understand neural-immune circuits within tumors. As one example, he shared how he and colleagues used spatial transcriptomics to identify mediators of perineural invasion. By mapping cell type-specific gene expression at different distances from an invading nerve, they found that PDGFD signaling was enriched in the cancer cells near the nerve and that this signaling promoted neuronal outgrowth and perineural invasion. They also examined how the neural and immune-cell composition of cellular neighborhoods impacted the expression of tumor-promoting genes.
Lastly, Amit offered insights into how to translate spatial multiomics data into clinical impact. By comparing spatial multiomics data from patients whose tumors responded to the immune checkpoint inhibitor cemiplimab (Libtayo) with data from patients whose tumors did not respond, he and colleagues identified neural and immunological factors, such as perineural invasion, that influence a tumor’s likelihood of response.
“Integrating spatial transcriptomic and proteomic data with clinical outcomes and population-level datasets … can transform mechanistic observations into clinically actionable insights,” he said.
11:45 a.m. – AACR Runners for Research 5K Run/Walk Brings 1,100+ Runners, Exceeds Fundraising Goal
It was a beautiful morning here in San Diego, California, where the famously picturesque harbor was abustle with a sight familiar to Annual Meeting attendees: the AACR Runners for Research. This year, the sold-out(!) race featured more than 1,100 participants from 31 countries.
The annual AACR Runners for Research 5K Run/Walk (AACR 5K) is a cherished tradition of the AACR Annual Meeting, and the more than $250,000 raised for cancer is a testament to the enthusiasm and dedication of the participants—some of whom traveled from the other side of the globe to be here and still found the energy for an early-morning 5K.
We had the chance to catch up with some of the runners we spoke with for our preview story (you can learn more about their reasons for running in our preview post). See our interview below with Annie W.Y. Chai, PhD, a scientist representing Cancer Research Malaysia and a former AACR Global Scholar-in-Training Award recipient.
Industry was well-represented too—including a veritable battalion from Revolution Medicines, who were Visionary Supporters of the race this year. As they were photographed, they let out what you might call their trademark cheer: “Daraxonrasib!”
As the runners warmed up with calisthenics and team cheers, an AACR who’s who delivered a resounding pep talk. AACR Annual Meeting 2026 Program Chair Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, FAACR, thanked the crowd for their commitment to funding cancer research and pledged her own support as a fellow runner. Research funding of the kind being raised at the AACR 5K, she said, is absolutely essential to keep the state of the cancer research field advancing while accelerating breakthroughs. “We are all gathered to unite and help fund cancer research—and fund progress!”
AACR President-Elect Keith Flaherty, MD, FAACR, was up next at the mic. “I had my knee replaced last year, and I’m going to break it in today!” he said, eliciting both laughter and cheers. He added, “Every step you take on the course brings us one step closer to a world without cancer.”
Program Chair Paul Mischel, MD, FAACR, could not participate due to a conflicting morning session (“I’m dressed for running!” he joked, wearing a full suit), but he offered his sincere gratitude to the runners.
“This run says a lot. There has never been a more important time for cancer research … By being here today, you are sending a critical message: that cancer research matters, and that we’re in this together,” said Mischel.
When the starting gun fired, the front line of runners took off faster than you can say “plenary,” as they raced down the bayfront in a blur of green and black, running with the wind that blew in from the Pacific. Wave after wave of runners headed down the track, many in their Runners for Research finery but some sporting their own costumes—including superhero capes and neon-green mohawks.
Some members from the AACR Board of Directors could be spotted as the runners surged forth, having swapped their conference formalwear for running gear. Their team, The Cure Catalysts, included notables like the 2026-2027 AACR President-Elect Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, FAACR, Shaw, and former AACR President, Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR (who achieved his goal of finishing the race at about 21 minutes).
The festivities lasted for nearly an hour, but it took all of 16 minutes and 49 seconds for the winner to cross the finish line. Keith Bailey, PhD—a field application scientist manager from LUMICKS—won, in addition to his AACR medal, unquestionable bragging rights for finishing the race with a blistering pace of 5 minutes, 28 seconds per mile.
“We [at LUMICKS] have been coming to the AACR Annual Meeting for many years, but it’s been six years since we ran the 5K, so this is a big deal for us,” said Bailey.
And what excites Bailey about the Annual Meeting (other than winning the 5K)? “I love being exposed to and being in discussions with the top minds in cancer research in the world,” he said. “It excites me every year to come to all the research sessions here. And it’s great to meet all the runners that I got to run with today.”
6:05 am – AACR Project GENIE Will Show Off New Harmonization Data Model
Since it launched in November 2015, AACR Project GENIE (Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange) has grown into the largest, publicly accessible cancer registry with real-world genomic and clinical data. At a Methods Workshop this morning, attendees can learn about the latest resource to come from this project—the GENIE Data Model (GDM). This is a public, open‑access, scalable framework that helps cancer centers collect and organize clinical and genomic information in the same way so it can be compared and combined more easily.
“When you want to do precision oncology research, you have to gather data from multiple institutions, and you cannot get away with whatever local definitions one institution has created,” explained Jeremy L. Warner, MD, of Brown University and the chair of the Methods Workshop. “If you want to have a common language—describing the extent of disease, whether a drug works, what outcomes matter—all these things that have to be standardized, that’s the backdrop of this session.”
The Methods Workshop, which takes place from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in Room 31 in the upper level of the convention center, will walk attendees through how GDM is structured, what it takes to put it into practice, and the available support for tracking patients over time and bringing together multiple data types.
Learn more about the session and other sessions related to AACR Project GENIE occurring throughout the meeting in this article published in AACR Annual Meeting News.
