AACR Grantees Present their Work at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024 

Between April 5 – 10, the AACR Annual Meeting 2024 will welcome leading cancer scientists from all over the world to the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California. We are thrilled to announce the AACR grantees selected to present their work in oral and poster presentations. We are extremely proud and excited about the progress they have made with support from the AACR and its funding partners! 

Please explore the breadth of topics that will be covered over the 6 days of the conference.  Follow the links to learn more and add the sessions to your online itinerary! 

Saturday, April 6^th  

METHODS WORKSHOP 

Innovative Software Analytics for Pediatric Cancer Clinical Testing 

10:00 – 11:30 a.m., Room 31, Upper Level – Convention Center 

Olena M. Vaske, PhD, 2019 AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research 

EDUCATIONAL SESSION 

Metabolic Dependencies and Adaptations in Cancer  

12:30 – 2:00 p.m., Room 31, Upper Level – Convention Center 

Isaac S. Harris, PhD, 2020 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Translational Breast Cancer Research 

Sunday, April 7^th  

OPENING CEREMONY 

9:30 – 11:30 a.m., Hall GH – Ground Level – Convention Center 

W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, NCI Director, 2010 Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Award for Research in Personalized Cancer Medicine, and 2018 AACR-Kure It Research Grant for Immunotherapy in Kidney Cancer  

Christina M. Curtis, PhD, MSc, 2016 AACR-Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation-Carol’s Crusade for a Cure Foundation Career Development Award for Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Research 

MINISYMPOSIUM 

Three-dimensional immune atlas of pancreatic cancer precursor lesions reveals large inter- and intra-lesion heterogeneity 

4:40 – 4:55 p.m., Room 14, Mezzanine Level – Convention Center 

Ashley Kiemen, PhD, 2023 Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer Research, in Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Epidemiology 

Genomic distinctions of HIV- and EBV-associated DLBCL in a diverse African cohort 

Katherine Rae Antel, MD, PhD, 2023 Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat) 

Stem Cells in Tumor Initiation and Progression 

Functional and lineage atlas of salivary gland regeneration charted by rapid in vivo gene targeting 

Qiwen Gan, PhD, 2023 Bosarge Family Foundation-Waun Ki Hong Scholar Award for Regenerative Cancer Medicine 

Metabolic Pathways 

Lipid exposure re-wires cellular metabolism away from glycolysis toward the serine pathway conferring oncogenic properties to non-transformed breast cells 

Mariana Bustamante Eduardo, PhD, 2023 AACR-Pfizer Breast Cancer Research Fellowship 

Basic and Applied Nanotechnology and Therapeutics 

Tumor treating fields (TTFields) targeted self assembling nanoparticles for pancreatic cancer treatment: in vitro and in vivo assessment 

Preshita Desai, PhD, 2019 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Fellowship 

Immunotherapy 

Tumor treating fields induce the integrated stress response, alter the transcriptional signatures of cellular metabolism, and modulate immune-related cytokines dependent and independent of p53 

Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, 2022 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Grant 

Preclinical evaluation of novel chimeric vesiculovirus mediated expression of proteolytic enzymes targeting two major stromal components of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma 

Bolni M. Nagalo, PhD, 2022 AACR Career Development Award to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cancer Research 

Application of Precision Medicine for Cancer Care 

Co-clinical endometrial cancer (EC) patient-derived organoids (PDO) to assess functional effects of replication stress (RS)-targeting agents 

Joyce Liu, MD, 2023 Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Rising Innovator Research Grant, in Partnership with Pelotonia & AACR 

Clinical Research in Special Populations 

Characterizing immune cell infiltration in colorectal cancer tumor microenvironment among Native Hawaiians 

Yuanyuan Fu, PhD, 2022 AACR-Merck Cancer Disparities Research Fellowship 

Monday, April 8^th  

EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATION  

Amping up Your Predictive Power: How Organoid Models are Leading the Way in Colon and Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Approaches 

10:00 – 11:00 a.m., Spotlight Theater C – Sails Pavilion – Convention Center 

Danielle Engle, PhD, 2021 Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Pancreatic Cancer Career Development Award, in Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

MAJOR SYMPOSIA 

Advances in Pediatric Cancer: Mechanisms, Vulnerabilities, and Translation 

10:15 – 11:45 a.m., Ballroom 6 DE – Upper Level– Convention Center 

Paul A. Northcott, PhD, 2016 AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research 

Chromatin and Cancer: From Mechanisms to Therapy  

10:15 – 11:45 a.m., Room 28 – Upper Level– Convention Center 

Yadira Soto-Feliciano, PhD, 2023 AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award 

AACR-Bayard D. Clarkson Symposium: Cellular Plasticity in Tumor Development, Metastasis and Response to Therapy 

10:15 – 11:45, Ballroom 6 A – Upper Level – Convention Center 

Karuna Ganesh, MBBChir, PhD, 2016 AACR Basic Cancer Research Fellowship and 2020 AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research 

ADVANCES IN HEMATOLOGIC MALIGNANCIES

Relapse after Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant 

10:15 – 11:45 a.m., Room 15 – Mezzanine Level– Convention Center 

Nicoletta M. Cieri, MD, PhD, 2020 AAACR-Incyte Immuno-oncology Research Fellowship

ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGIES 

Systematic Functional Approaches for Understanding and Targeting Cancer  

10:15 – 11:45 a.m., Ballroom 6CF – Upper Level– Convention Center 

Alison M. Taylor, PhD, 2021 AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award 

MINISYMPOSIUM 

Smoking’s influence on divergent paths to lung cancer 

4:05 – 4:20 p.m., Room 31, Upper Level – Convention Center 

James V. DeGregori, PhD, 2018 AACR-Johnson & Johnson Lung Cancer Innovation Science Grant 

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Modeling Cancer in Mice 

Intravital multiphoton microscopy of bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma 

Eleonora Dondossola, PhD, 2019 AACR-Bayer Innovation and Discovery Grant 

Inflammation, Host Factors, and Epigenetic Influences on Cancer Development and Treatment 

Immune and metabolic control of Th17 cells by TMEM176B: Potential implication in cancer immunotherapy 

Sofia Russo, PhD, 2023 AACR Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research in Cancer (MONARCA) Grants for Latin America 

Contributors to Metastatic Organotropism 

Unveiling the re-programming of choroid plexus and leptomeningeal metastasis 

Ana Rita Nobre, PhD, 2023 AACR-John and Elizabeth Leonard Family Foundation Basic Cancer Research Fellowship 

Biostatistics in Clinical Trials/Surgical Oncology 

Tumor treating fields (TTFields) for spinal metastasis: Clinical trial concept for use of conductive implants as waveguides to enhance TTFields strength 

Claudio E. Tatsui, MD, 2021 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Grant 

Health Disparities Across the Cancer Continuum 

Actívatexto: Feasibility and acceptability of a mobile intervention that promotes smoking cessation and physical activity among Latinos 

Francisco Cartujano-Barrera, PhD, 2021 AACR-Genentech Cancer Disparities Research Fellowship 

Pediatric Cancer Genomics and Epigenomics 

MYC and TGFβ promote group 3 medulloblastoma tumor resistance through deregulation of Polycomb targets 

Zulekha A. Qadeer, PhD, 2023 AACR-Sontag Foundation Brain Cancer Research Fellowship 

Phenotypic screens identify genetic regulators of nanoparticle delivery to pediatric brain tumors 

Joelle Straehla, MD, 2022 AACR-Day One Biopharmaceuticals Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship 

Tuesday, April 9^th  

ADVANCES IN ORGAN SITE RESEARCH 

Unwrapping Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Cancer  

10:15 – 11:45 a.m., Ballroom CF – Upper Level– Convention Center 

Laura D. Wood, MD, PhD, 2020 AACR-Bristol Myers Squibb Midcareer Female Investigator Grant 

Updates from SABCS 2023 

11:20 – 11:35 a.m., Room 28 – Upper Level– Convention Center 

Nolan Priedigkeit, MD, PhD, 2024 AACR-Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation Young Investigator Award for Translational Cancer Research 

AWARDS AND LECTURES 

AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award Lecture: Mechanisms of Gene Regulation by Chromatin Adaptors in Development and Disease 

12:00 – 12:30 p.m., Room 5 – Upper Level– Convention Center 

Yadira Soto-Feliciano, PhD, 2023 AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award 

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Genetic Epidemiology: GxE, GWAS, and Next-Generation Sequencing 

Tumor genomic heterogeneity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients from Latin America 

Javiera Garrido, MSc, PhD, 2023 AACR Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research in Cancer (MONARCA) Grants for Latin America 

A trans-ethnic meta-analysis identified additional novel genomic loci associated with cervical cancer 

Abram Kamiza, PhD, 2022 Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat)  

Inflammation in Tumor Initiation and Progression 

Cytokine CCL9, new downstream target of oncogene Kras to modulate acinar-to-ductal metaplasia during pancreatic cancer initiation 

Geou-Yarh Liou, PhD, 2017 AACR-Bayer Innovation and Discovery Grant 

Chemotherapy, Radiation, and Vaccine Mediated Immunity 

Oncolytic Jurona-driven systemic and intratumoral immunotherapy combined with immune checkpoint blockade boost immune response and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma models 

Bolni M. Nagalo, PhD, 2022 AACR Career Development Award to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cancer Research 

Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Immunity 

Epigenetic modulation decreases myeloid suppression to improve response to immune checkpoint inhibition in breast cancer 

Evanthia Roussos Torres, MD, PhD, 2023 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity and Inclusion 

Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis 

Chronic stress causes metastasis via neutrophil-mediated changes to the microenvironment 

Xue-Yan He, PhD, 2021 AACR-AstraZeneca Breast Cancer Research Fellowship 

Drug Resistance: Regulation of Gene Expression 

Multiomics analysis unravels tumor metabolic reprogramming and potential resistance mechanism(s) to curative therapy in TNBC 

Zuen Ren, MD, PhD, 2023 AACR-Pfizer Breast Cancer Research Fellowship 

Cancer Treatment: New Technologies 

Tumor treating fields alter PDGFR-β localization in immortalized human pericytes in an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier 

Carsten Hagemann, PhD, 2020 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Grant 

Pediatric CNS Tumors, Leukemia, and Neuroblastoma: Translational 

Next-generation immunocompetent and humanized neuroblastoma murine models for the discovery and validation of novel immunotherapies 

Timothy T. Spear, MD, PhD, 2023 Friends of the AACR Foundation Early Career Investigator Award 

Pediatric Cancer Microenviroment, Tumor Heterogeneity, and Targeted Therapeutics 

Plasticity of CAF-like states in Ewing sarcoma is mediated by TGF-beta 

Emma Wrenn, PhD, 2022 AACR-QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship, in Memory of Willie Tichenor 

Wednesday, April 10^th  

MAJOR SYMPOSIUM

Tumor Microbiome 

10:15 – 11:45 a.m., Room 28, Upper Level – Convention Center 

Florencia McAllister, MD, 2012 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Fellowship, in memory of Samuel Stroum, and 2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Career Development Award 

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Tumor Evolution at Single Cell Resolution 

Residual disease after HER2 inhibition is driven by a primary tumor subpopulation expressing an ERBB2-low associated transcriptional program 

Sheheryar Kabraji, BM BCh, 2020 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Translational Breast Cancer Research 

Modifications and Signaling to Cancer Drivers 

Comprehensive investigation of NAT10’s catalytic and non-catalytic functions in cancer cell proliferation 

Daniel Arango, PhD, 2022 AACR Career Development Award to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cancer Research 

Other Targets 

Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) show efficacy in Triple-Negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells alone and in combination with PARP inhibitor Talazoparib  

(TTFields) and imipridone ONC206 co-treatment inhibits p-AKT and spheroid growth and upregulates caspase-10 in human GBM cell lines 

Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, 2022 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Grant 

Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment 

Immunological aging in triple negative breast cancer leads to a chronic interferon phenotype and immune cell exhaustion that impedes response to therapy 

Milos Spasic, PhD, 2023 AACR-AstraZeneca Breast Cancer Research Fellowship 

On Demand 

MINISYMPOSIUM 

Mechanisms of succinate-mediated drug resistance in ER+ breast cancer 

Jenny Hogstrom-Stakem, PhD, 2023 AACR-AstraZeneca Breast Cancer Research Fellowship