CRI-ENCI Ninth International Cancer
Immunotherapy Conference

Program

Sept. 10-12, 2025 | Utrecht, The Netherlands

Pre-Conference Program: Sept. 9, 2025

Scientific Program

Focusing on the theme of Translating Science into Survival, the Ninth International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference (CICON25) will spotlight new research and critical discussions that push the frontiers of cancer treatments.

CICON25 will present plenary lectures, proffered talks, roundtable discussions, poster sessions, as well as industry exhibits. Proffered talks will be selected from submitted abstracts, showcasing the latest advancements in cancer immunotherapy. Poster sessions will offer a platform for in-depth discussions on specific studies, encouraging collaborative exploration and innovation.

Ahead of the main conference, a pre-conference program will take place on September 9. A dedicated workshop on tertiary lymphoid structures will explore their induction, regulation, spatial organization, function, and predictive potential in the context of cancer immunotherapy. Additionally, the L´Institut Servier will host a symposium on neuro-immuno-oncology exploring the complex interactions between the nervous system, the immune system, and cancer, with a particular focus on brain tumors.

Preliminary Program

3rd PRE-CICON WORKSHOP

TERTIARY LYMPHOID STRUCTURES IN THE ERA OF CANCER THERAPY

13.00 – 13.30

Welcome and Registration

13.30 – 15.15

SESSION I
TLS – regulation, spatial organization and quantification

Chair: Paola Nisticò, Daniela Thommen

Introduction

Classification of TLS
Karina Silina, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Cellular and molecular regulation of TLS formation in glioblastoma
Anna Dimberg, Uppsala University, Sweden

Location matters: mapping antigen receptors in human tumors
Camilla Engblom, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Human organoids with autologous tissue-resident immune compartments
Nikolche Gjorevski, Roche Institute of Human Biology, Switzerland

From standardized pathology to deep learning screening of TLS
Lucile Vanhersecke, Institut Bergonié , France

Company talk

15.15 – 15.45

Coffee break

15.45 – 17.55

SESSION II
TLS – induction, anti-tumor activity, immunotherapy response and resistance

Chair: Anna Dimberg, Catherine Sautès-Fridman

Introduction

Induction of TLS
Claudio Tripodo, AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Italy

Site-dependent regulation of TLS activity in ovarian cancer
Tullia Bruno, University of Pittsburgh, USA

Spatial organization of immunotherapy responses in TLS and tumor parenchyma
Daniela Thommen, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands

Spatially-determined TLS features associated with resistance to immunotherapy in kidney cancer
Isaias Hernandez, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, France

Company talk

Round Table

17.55 – 18.00

Closing
L’Institut Servier

Neuro-Immuno-Oncology
Symposium

13.30 – 14.00

Registration & Coffee

14.00 – 14.10

Welcome & Introduction
Guido Kroemer, Patrick Therasse 

14.10 – 15.45

SESSION I
Learnings from Neuroscience and Immunology

Chair: Moran Amit, Guido Kroemer

Synaptic connections between cancer cells and neurons
Varun Venkataramani, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Immune effectors in neuronal regeneration
Simone di Giovanni, Imperial College London, UK

Learning from the neuroscience/neuroimmunology of multiple sclerosis
Lars Fugger, University of Oxford, UK

Clock hijackers: Glioblastoma and Circadian Medicine
Maria Gonzalez Aponte, Washington University, USA

Q&A and discussion

15.45 – 16.15

Coffee break

16.15 – 16.45

Keynote Lecture

Innervation of extracranial cancers
Moran Amit, MD Anderson, Houston, TX, USA

16.45 – 16.55

Q&A and discussion
Guido Kroemer

16.55 – 18.10

SESSION II
Immunotherapeutic approaches to treat brain tumors 

Chair: Marcela V. Maus, Patrick Therasse

CAR T cells for the treatment of glioblastoma
Marcela V. Maus, Harvard University, USA

“Therapeutic” vaccine and Brain tumors
Michael Platten, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Germany

Oncolytic Viruses to treat pediatric brain tumors
Marta Alonso Roldán, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Spain

Q&A and discussion

18.10

Closing remarks

08:30

Registration

09:00
Welcome Address

09:30 - 11:30

Session I
New targets for immune-based therapies

Identification of T cell antigens in melanoma
Yardena Samuels, Weizmann Institute, Israel

Identification of potent antigens in pancreatic cancer
Rienk Offringa, German Cancer Research Center, Germany

Overcoming immunotherapy resistance by targeting neuromediators
Catherine Sautès-Fridman, Cordeliers Research Centre, France

short talk - selected from abstract pool

short talk - selected from abstract pool

11:30 - 13:30
Poster Session A & Lunch Break

Participants are invited to explore Poster Session, presenting research abstracts in an interactive format. Lunch will be available throughout the session.

13:30 - 15:30

Session II
Novel molecular designs to drive anti-cancer immunity

Engineering of cytokine-enhanced NK-cell engagers
Eric Vivier, Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, France

Fc-optimized CD40 agnosistic antibody for the treatment of cancer 
Juan Osorio, Rockefeller University, USA

Enabling in situ vaccination with TL7/8/9 RNA/DNA agonists
Arthur Krieg University of Massachusetts, RNA Therapeutics Institute/Zola Therapeutics, USA

short talk - selected from abstract pool

short talk - selected from abstract pool

15:30 - 16:00

Coffee break

16:00 - 18:00

Session III
Tumor microenvironment dynamics and pathways to therapy sensitivity

Spatial tools to profile the tumor microenvironment
William L. Hwang, Harvard Medical School/MGH, USA

Actionable soluble mediators in resistance to checkpoint inhibitors
Ignacio Melero, University of Navarra, Spain

TBD
N.N.

short talk - selected from abstract pool

short talk - selected from abstract pool

18:00 - 18:15

Transitional break

18:15 - 19:15

William B. Coley Award Lecture
N.N.

08:30 - 09:30

Keynote

Principles of CAR design
Michel Sadelain, Columbia University, USA

09:30 - 10:00

Coffee break

10:00 - 12:00

Session IV
Biomarkers of immunotherapeutic success

Circulating tumor DNA to monitor the efficacy of immunotherapy and to predict irToxicity
Valsamo Anagnostou, Johns Hopkins Medicine, USA

RNA Vaccines for Pancreatic Cancer
Vinod Balachandran, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA

Spatial and molecular biomarkers in breast cancer
Giampaolo Bianchini, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Italy

short talk - selected from abstract pool

short talk - selected from abstract pool

12:00 - 15:00
Poster Session B & Lunch Break

Participants are invited to explore Poster Session, presenting research abstracts in an interactive format. Lunch will be available throughout the session.

15:00 - 16:00

Panel discussion
Lessons for Patient-Centric Approaches: Learning from clinical studies
Chair: Cassian Yee, MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

16:00 - 16:30

Coffee break

16:30 - 18:30

Session V
Precision targeting with engineered effector cells

PRAME-TCR: From preclinics to clinics
Cedrik Britten, Immatics Biotechnologies, Germany

Development of CAR-NK cells
Evelyn Ullrich, University Medicine Frankfurt, Germany

Systematic identification of targets improving T cell therapies 
Laurie Menger, Institut Gustave Roussy, France

short talk - selected from abstract pool

short talk - selected from abstract pool

08:30 - 10:30

Session VI
Leveraging digital tools to unravel cancer-immune interactions

Challenges and advances in neoantigen discovery
Michal Bassani-Sternberg, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Switzerland

Leveraging machine learning to analyze ex vivo modeled tumor microenvironments
Denis Wirtz, Johns Hopkins Medicine, USA

Dissecting T cell recognition of human cancer 
Ton Schumacher, Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Netherlands

short talk - selected from abstract pool

short talk - selected from abstract pool

10:30 - 11:00

Coffee break

11:00 - 12:00

Big data overload: Insights and solutions
Chair: Wolf Fridman, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, France

12:00 - 15:00
Poster Session C & Lunch Break

Participants are invited to explore Poster Session, presenting research abstracts in an interactive format. Lunch will be available throughout the session.

15:00 - 16:00

Session VII
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy  in lung cancer: preclinical models, clinical trials and reverse translation
Tina Cascone, MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy of gastrointestinal cancer
Myriam Chalabi, Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Netherlands

16:00 - 16:30

Coffee break

16:30 - 18:30

Session VIII
Depletion and avoidance of immunosuppressive cells

Therapeutic targeting of myeloid cells
Dmitry Gabrilovich, AstraZeneca, USA

Mechanisms driving immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment
Karin de Visser, Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Netherlands

Leverage different myeloid cell capacities to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy
Sjoerd van der Burg, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

short talk - selected from abstract pool

short talk - selected from abstract pool

CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS

Özlem Türeci, Mainz, Germany
Cornelis M. Melief, Leiden, The Netherlands
Nina Bhardwaj, New York, USA
Cassian Yee, Houston, USA

CICON25 SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Sergio Abrignani, National Institute of Molecular Genetics (INGM), Italy
Valsamo Anagnostou, Johns Hopkins Medicine, USA
Ana Arance, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain
Marcel van den Brink, City of Hope, USA
Vincenzo Bronte, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, Italy
Lorenzo Galluzzi, Fox Chase Cancer Center, USA
Manel Juan, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain
Christina Leslie, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA
Yifat Merbl, Weizmann Insitute of Science, Israel
Catherine Sautes-Fridman, Cordeliers Research Center, France
Matthew Spitzer, UC San Francisco, USA