The 2026 IO-ACT Summit is supported, in part, by: Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead, Kite and Novartis (supporters as of April 28, 2026).

Silver Supporter

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc

Corporate Advisory Council Members

Astellas Logo

Corporate Advisory Council Members

AstraZeneca Logo

Corporate Advisory Council Members

BMS Logo

Corporate Advisory Council Members

Gilead Logo

Corporate Advisory Council Members

Kite

Corporate Advisory Council Members

Novartis Logo

Program Organizers

Leisha Emens, MD, PhD

Chair
Leisha Emens, MD, PhD
Calico

Cong Chen, PhD

Cong Chen, PhD
Merck

James Gulley, MD, PhD

James Gulley, MD, PhD
SITC

Sean Khozin, MD, MPH

Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
CEO Roundtable

Zhen Su, MD, MBA

Zhen Su, MD, MBA
Marengo Therapeutics

Zhen Su, MD, MBA

Marc Theoret, MD
Iovance

Participants

Leisha Emens, MD, PhD
Calico Lifesciences LLC

Cong Chen, PhD
Merck & Co., Inc.

James Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP
National Cancer Institute

Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
CEO Roundtable

Zhen Su, MD, MBA
Marengo Therapeutics

Marc Theoret, MD
Iovance Biotherapeutics

Jeff Allen, PhD
FOCR

Laleh Amiri-Kordestani, MD
FDA

Carlo Bifulco, MD
Providence Genomics

Alice Chen, MD
NIH National Cancer Institute

Toni Choueiri, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Laura Esserman, MD
UCSF

Antonio Fojo, MD, PhD
Columbia University

Susan Halabi, PhD
Duke University

John Heymach, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Scott Kopentz, PhD
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Minetta Liu, MD, PhD
Natera

Amy McKee, MD
AstraZeneca

Richard Pazdur, MD

Reena Philip, PhD
Merck

Kerry Reynolds, MD
Mass General

Eric Rubin, MD

Afreen Shariff, MD
Duke Cancer Institute

Mark Socinski, MD
Advent Health

Ryan Sullivan, MD
Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital

Suzanne Topalian, MD
Johns Hopkins University

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Program Summary

The framework of IO-ACT will focus on three key pillars:

  • Advance the cancer immunotherapy field forward
  • Collaborate across all stakeholders with a collective goal
  • Transform millions of lives with the next wave of IO therapies

This proposed inaugural effort in 2026 will focus on the new generation of bispecific immunotherapies targeting PD-1 and VEGF which has emerged as a priority class of therapies. It is estimated that 30–50 Phase III trials are or will initiate over the next two years.

Collectively, these studies may exceed $20–30 billion in cost of development, and with multiple academic and industry groups advancing similar agents into clinical trials, the field faces increasing risks of redundancy, inefficiency, and regulatory uncertainty.

IO-ACT will serve as a launch point for practical conversations on how the field can collaborate at a pre-competitive level towards ensuring success for all involved stakeholders and cancer patients. Discussions will focus on addressing modality-specific barriers to access within the pre- and post-approval settings.

Program Schedule

July 20, 2026

Schedule subject to change. Session time slots are being finalized.

7:30–8:30 a.m.
Check-In
8:30–8:40 a.m.
Opening Remarks
8:40–9:25 a.m.
Accelerating Progress Through Trial Design and Regulatory Innovation
9:25–10:10 a.m.
Building on Lessons Learned from Original Wave of PD-1
10:10–10:30 a.m.
Networking Break
10:30–11:15 a.m.
Innovative Control Arm
11:15 a.m.–12 p.m.
Platform Trial Model
12–1 p.m.
Lunch Break
1–1:45 p.m.
Toxicity Characterization
1:45–2:30 p.m.
Biomarker and Companion Diagnostic (CDx) Network
2:30–3:15 p.m.
Actualizing Progress – Advancing Ideas and Outcomes
3:15–3:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks

Program Details

Outputs and Repurposing

IO-ACT would result in an executive summary that details the outcomes from each panel discussion. These panels will be geared towards actionable next steps and priorities for the field/SITC that can best drive towards better development and access. Examples of actionable outcomes could include educational materials, toxicity guidelines, and/or control arm pilot projects. Generated concepts can serve as a foundational material for future conversations with involved stakeholders on how SITC can best support the field.

Target Audience

As an invitation-only event, SITC will not recruit an audience to this event. The stakeholders invited will include companies with active pipelines in area of focus. Strategic invites will include industry (Pfizer, BMS, Merck, BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Summit, etc.), CROs, biotech, diagnostic companies, disease experts (lung, CRC, breast) and FDA and key regulators. Faculty may be invited to bring a fellow or student with them to the event.

Learning Objectives

As an invitation only event, this is not a traditional educational program with learning objectives. However, the program will result with an executive summary.