Two physician-scientists from Washington University School of Medicine will be honored, and 30 faculty members and others will present findings at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in San Diego from April 17-22.
The event highlights the ongoing contributions of Siteman Cancer Center researchers to cancer science. With more than 20,000 participants expected each year, the conference serves as a major platform for sharing breakthroughs in areas such as population science, prevention, cancer biology, clinical studies, survivorship and advocacy.
Among those recognized this year are John F. DiPersio, MD, PhD, who will receive the AACR’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Blood Cancer Research. DiPersio is known for pioneering work on hematologic malignancies and stem cell transplantation. He developed agents such as plerixafor and motixafortide used in stem cell mobilization and recently led an immunotherapy called WU-CART-007 that received Breakthrough Therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March. Kenneth M. Murphy, MD, PhD will be presented with the AACR-Cancer Research Institute Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology for his research on dendritic cells’ role in immune responses against cancer.
Timothy J. Eberlein, MD said: “Siteman Cancer Center is proud to continue our strong presence at the AACR Annual Meeting, where collaboration and discovery are accelerating progress against cancer at an unprecedented pace.” Eberlein also said that sharing their work helps translate innovations into real-world impact for communities they serve.
Sheila A. Stewart, PhD has been elected to join the AACR Board of Directors starting with this meeting. Stewart studies how changes in noncancerous cells influence immune response and cancer development; she will also chair a session on therapy-induced comorbidities during the conference.
Other notable presentations include Li Ding discussing tumor evolution using data from the Human Tumor Atlas Network; Graham A. Colditz presenting on breast cancer screening strategies; Carl DeSelm introducing new chimeric antigen receptor dendritic cell therapies; and Xue-Yan He exploring neural mechanisms linking colitis to cancer transition.
Siteman Cancer Center was founded in 1999 according to its official records according to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The center treats over 75,000 people annually—including more than 12,000 newly diagnosed patients—and operates six locations including pediatric care facilities under current president Timothy Eberlein.
