As a former bench scientist who works every day to advance the discovery of novel treatments for patients with cancer, I am looking forward to seeing the future of cancer care at ASCO’s annual meeting in Chicago. ASCO is a meeting beyond compare for networking and creating headlines. The expertise and diversity of ASCO’s attendees – from sponsors and clinicians to vendors, patients, and researchers – creates a palpable energy and buzz at McCormick Place.  Despite it being such a large convention center with many interesting sessions often running in parallel, I can stay engaged with the latest innovations and breaking science being presented through ASCO’s electronic updates on their app and Twitter feed, which is critical for optimal benefit of the conference. 
 
The focus on science at ASCO appeals to my bench science training and industry start. I am excited to roam the poster sessions and attend the plenary talks that will communicate advancements in areas that are pushing oncology research boundaries and the market forward: new approaches to immunotherapies, precision medicine, and my personal favorite – adoptive cell therapies. I plan to visit the poster discussions on “Developmental and Combination Therapies” and the education session, “Reprogramming the Tumor Microenvironment to Improve Immunotherapy: Emerging Strategies.” I’m intrigued to determine if checkpoint inhibitors are still ‘king’ in the immunotherapy space, or if there is a new ‘darling’ emerging in the clinic. And finally, I look forward to hearing emerging data from biopharma companies, as this segment has contributed approximately three-fourths of R&D spending, and 68 new drugs to the marketplace, over the past five years.
 
Because the success of autologous therapies may rely on the individual, I’m curious about advancements that have been made in these more personalized treatments, such as CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) therapy or neo-antigen vaccines. Many autologous therapies gained recognition because they come from the patients’ own bodies and are engineered to recognize and attack their own specific cancer. The promise of these autologous therapies, and even specifically CAR-T, is changing treatment paradigms and impacting patients with significant unmet need, but also comes at a premium price. Autologous CAR-T treatments have inherent technology and manufacturing considerations. These specific constraints are why I applaud the field for advancing in parallel and developing universal allogeneic platforms, additional innovative targets, and combination therapies (for both autologous and allogeneic therapies) so that we can optimize therapeutic options for patients urgently. The rapidly changing landscape of adoptive cellular medicine makes me eager to stay in tune with the real-world aspects of CAR-T treatments, regarding toxicity and patient access.  
 
Another aspect of ASCO that keeps me going year to year is their dedication to making patients’ voices heard. Their attention to the quality of cancer care is clearly seen throughout the program. The potential of putting the patient voice front-and-center in clinical trials and clinical care remains at the core of my day-to-day responsibilities, and ASCO reminds me that this is still a priority in the discovery, design, testing, and commercialization of new cancer therapies.
 
I’ll also be talking to visitors at our booth about striving for success in adoptive cell therapies. We will discuss preclinical and technical challenges associated with cell therapies, as well as regulatory considerations, market access, and commercialization components of these products. Additionally, I’ll be discussing operational challenges in cell and gene therapy trials. One of the major challenges in these trials is site selection: it is essential to find capable sites that are located near the appropriate patient population. Once these sites are selected, there are additional, specific regulatory and protocol nuances that differentiate cell and gene therapy trials from other oncology clinical trials that can present an operational hurdle. Finally, I’ll be discussing logistical concerns – manufacturing of the investigational cellular product and the complexity of biospecimens in cell and gene therapy trials.
 
What draws me to ASCO is the way in which they shine a light on patient voices and the way they contribute to improving cancer care. But what keeps me there is their dedication to advancing our field, making clinical trials run more efficiently and compassionately, and ensuring that optimal treatment options can be available for all patients in need. The overall result is a community of researchers, clinicians and patients working together for people with cancer, with thoughtful and innovative results that benefit us all.