Oncology Research and Development in the "City Beautiful"

The theme for this year was “Advancing the Frontiers of Cancer Science and Medicine,” which brought together thousands of attendees spanning basic and clinical scientists, clinicians, patient advocates, and policy makers. The meeting encompassed educational sessions, method workshops, plenary sessions, poster sessions, and mini symposiums covering all aspects of basic and clinical cancer research with data updates on the ongoing clinical trials for the newest cancer therapies.

A big scientific focus in this year’s meeting was immuno-oncology and the growing need for advanced patient-derived models, which was evident by the breath of scientific sessions dedicated to showcasing the latest research in these areas. The “Embracing Immune Ecosystems” plenary session had some very exciting new data presented on myeloid cell immune checkpoints, the next generation of CAR-T cells, and immune cell heterogeneity and its impact in design and development of immunotherapy.

ATCC at AACR

The AACR exposition featured a wide array of companies showcasing their latest product offerings and capabilities for streamlining cancer discovery and research. The ATCC exhibitor booth showcased the newest and most cutting-edge offerings from ATCC, which included CAR-T target reporter cells, checkpoint reporter tumor cells, and new patient-derived models from the Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI) collection.

Chocolate Kingdom Reception

ATCC combined chocolate and science during our reception at The Chocolate Kingdom. With its interactive factory tour, chocolate museum, and river of chocolate, the Chocolate Kingdom provided a unique setting for a scientific presentation around innovative, advanced biological models. In the presentation, Jesse S. Boehm, PhD, CSO at Break Through Cancer, discussed how these models can be used to enhance the clinical relevance of oncology research and immunotherapeutic development. He focused on the importance of reducing the barriers between cancer research institutions and promoting data sharing among these institutions as strategies for speeding the pace of cancer drug discovery.

ATCC Exhibitor Spotlight Session

This workshop highlighted two application areas of ATCC’s current focus: 2-D and 3-D models from the HCMI collection and reporter models and primary cells for immuno-oncology–based therapeutics.

Utsav Sharma, PhD, Product Manager at ATCC, kicked off the presentation by introducing our overarching focus on oncology product areas. Dr. Sharma related how various fields of cancer drug discovery and development—such as biomarker discovery, tumor biology, and drug screening—are supported by the breadth of ATCC’s product offerings.

Next, Hyeyoun Chang, PhD, Scientist at ATCC, addressed ATCC’s immuno-oncology program. After introducing this new corporate initiative, Dr. Chang discussed some of the new products that we are generating to support this growing area of cancer therapy. Some of the product areas that she focused on included human primary immune cells, CAR-T target luciferase reporter cells, checkpoint luciferase reporter cell lines, and THP-1 reporter cells.

Last, James Clinton, PhD, Lead Scientist at ATCC, presented ATCC’s involvement in the HCMI, an international consortium that is dedicated to generating novel human tumor-derived culture models with associated genomic and clinical data. Dr. Clinton described the features of advanced 2-D and 3-D models such as organoids, neurospheres, and conditionally reprogrammed cells. He highlighted the importance of these models by describing the breadth of sequencing and patient clinical data accompanying these models and how these data can be accessed for free by the research community.

ATCC Poster Session

In addition to the Exhibitor Spotlight Session, Dr. Chang presented a scientific poster around ATCC’s checkpoint luciferase reporter cell lines titled “Immune Checkpoint Reporter Cell Lines Based on the Protein Profiling of ATCC Cell Lines for Cancer Immunotherapy Drug Screening.” In her presentation, Dr. Chang showed how these novel cell lines can be incorporated into simple blocking assays or integrated into sophisticated co-culture cell-based drug screening assays. You can watch the presentation on demand or download the poster if you missed the poster session and are interested in seeing the compelling data.

ATCC-NCI HCMI Joint Session

Dr. James Clinton along with members from NCI’s Center for Cancer Genomics (CCG) conducted a joint session on the HCMI project titled “Human Cancer Models Initiative: A Resource of Next-generation Cancer Models and Data.” At this session, the presenters provided an overview of the HCMI project, demonstrated how to navigate the HCMI searchable catalog and associated patient-derived model data, and highlighted ATCC’s role as the exclusive distributor of these models.

What ATCC can offer

Cancer patients rely on the efforts of the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology firms, and academic institutions to develop the therapies needed to treat both common and rare forms of the disease. Yet, the lack of available models relevant to tumor type, disease progression, and population diversity impedes our progress toward rapid advancements in translational medicine.

ATCC can help by providing authenticated cancer models that lead to breakthroughs in translational research. To this end, we produce the materials and standards that scientists need for drug screening, tumor mechanism studies, biomarker discovery, cancer immunology, and cancer diagnostics development. New models such as organoids, conditionally reprogrammed cells, neurospheres, and luciferase-expressing reporter cell lines are essential for your cutting-edge cancer research.

Did you know?

ATCC provides resources such as application notes, scientific posters, and webinars that focus on cancer diagnostic and drug discovery and development applications.