At the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 Opening Ceremony, the hall was filled to bursting as thousands of enthusiastic researchers from around the world gathered to hear the state of the cancer research union. This year’s Annual Meeting brought in more than 22,000 participants, many numbering among AACR’s globe-spanning membership—more than 65,000 strong from 143 countries and territories.
As AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), took to the stage, the hall erupted in cheers and applause—a phenomenon that was about to be repeated often throughout the ceremony, thanks in no small part to the impressive record of AACR accomplishments reported.
After offering her thanks to AACR’s Officers, Board of Directors, and Annual Meeting Program Chairs for making yet another year of the world’s premier cancer research conference possible, Foti reminded everyone of the urgency of the mission uniting everyone.
“Preventing and curing all cancers remains one of the greatest scientific and medical challenges of our time. For generations, the brightest minds in science and medicine have devoted their talents to understanding and addressing this complex disease,” she said.
“For 119 years, AACR, along with its dedicated members, have been at the forefront of this quest—serving as a catalyst for discovery, a convener of the global cancer research community, and a powerful voice for scientists, oncologists, other health care professionals, and patient advocates.”
Presidential updates: AACR Center for Cancer Clinical Trials, Asia Pacific Office open for business, and launch of Professional Excellence Program
AACR President Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, followed Foti to deliver news about some of AACR’s newest initiatives. She began with an update on the AACR Center for Cancer Clinical Trials, which is launching a first-of-its-kind, multibiomarker-driven clinical trial. The trial will enroll patients with gastroesophageal cancer and apply a panel of biomarkers to guide therapeutic strategies that aim to spare the patients from the life-altering surgery that current treatment for gastroesophageal cancer often requires.
“We are especially grateful for the deep partnerships with industry, academic institutions, and advocacy organizations that have made this initiative possible,” said Siu. “We are thrilled that the IND application for this clinical trial has been approved both by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, and the trial will enroll its first patients this year.”
Siu also announced a landmark step that AACR has taken toward creating a more global, unified cancer research community: the opening of the AACR Asia Pacific Office in Singapore.
The Asia Pacific Office, she said, will deepen AACR’s engagement with the Asia Pacific research community and create new opportunities to connect cancer investigators, clinicians, and other innovators across continents in service of the AACR mission. The new office and its initiatives will also dovetail with the inaugural AACR Asia Pacific Conference, which, Siu announced, is being planned for 2027.
Rounding out Siu’s list of announcements was the launch of a new program: the AACR Professional Excellence Program, or AACR PEP.
“Launching this year, PEP is dedicated to developing a core of new oncology leaders with the skill set to drive innovation and collaboration across the basic, translational, clinical, and population science landscape,” she said. “We look forward to selecting 20 meritorious early-stage investigators this year and announcing the inaugural class at the AACR Annual Meeting 2027!”
Before she left the stage, Siu expressed her profound gratitude to the AACR membership.
“As President, I’ve been very lucky to witness the breadth of AACR’s extraordinary impact on research, the pace of progress we enable, the scope of our international endeavors, and the responsibilities we are humbled to carry on our shoulders,” she said. “You are the foundation of this organization, and it has been an honor to work with you to make further inroads into our shared mission to prevent and cure all cancers. Thank you!”
AACR Trailblazer Grant Program awardees named
This year’s Opening Ceremony announced an exciting follow-up to a new AACR initiative first launched at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025: the recipients of the AACR Trailblazer Cancer Research Grant Program, a $15 million investment in cutting-edge cancer research enabled by a gift from Pfizer.
“The 15 awards, valued at $1 million each, will equip early-stage and mid-career investigators with the resources they need to execute novel, highly creative projects that will revolutionize our understanding of cancer biology, drive groundbreaking translational science, and improve patient outcomes,” said Foti as she celebrated the awardees.
“I am extremely grateful to Pfizer for its impactful gift in support of AACR’s mission to defeat cancer in all its forms and of our sustained innovation in cancer research,” she said. “This donation will further advance cutting-edge science and catapult the development of lifesaving discoveries against cancer.”
Remarks from the director of the National Cancer Institute
The director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Anthony Letai, MD, PhD, FAACR, added the voice of the NCI to the chorus singing the praises of cancer research progress. His remarks outlined a vision for an NCI that invests in research while communicating those investments’ tangible impacts on human health.
After thanking the AACR membership for their tireless work, Letai shared one of his formative perspectives on the junction between research and treatment.
Back when he had begun a career as a clinician-scientist, he said, he struggled to connect his laboratory work on protein dynamics with his clinical practice treating patients with blood cancer. He likened this difficulty to trying to combine “expertise in car maintenance with expertise in ballet.”
But eventually, many years later, Letai would see that gap bridged as his patients with acute myeloid leukemia were treated with venetoclax—his career’s most gratifying moment, he said.
Letai then took the opportunity to debut a new NCI initiative to showcase NCI-driven progress to the American taxpayers who fund lifesaving cancer research. He played the first “Your NCI” video, which told the story of how immune checkpoint inhibitors began as a single NCI grant to James P. Allison, PhD, FAACR. That journey from idea to innovation, Letai said, was exactly what NCI existed to fund, and he encouraged the hall of researchers to apply for funding.
Letai closed with a final message to the crowd: “Enjoy the meeting, and get inspired!”
Exceptional contributors to cancer research recognized
In keeping with AACR tradition, the Opening Ceremony honored select individuals, scientists and advocates alike, for their noteworthy contributions to cancer research. Awardees recognized for their outstanding research achievements included Allison, who received the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research; and former AACR President Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR, who received the AACR-Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research. The newly minted Fellows of the AACR Academy, which inducted 24 new Fellows this year, were also honored.
On the advocacy side, Senator Susan Collins received the 2026 Distinguished Public Service Award for her leadership in defending federal research funding; and Jill Feldman was honored as the 2026 Distinguished Award for Patient Advocacy and Engagement for her remarkably impactful career as a patient advocate following a diagnosis of lung cancer more than two decades ago. Multiple winners of the AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism also took to the stage to receive recognition for their outstanding craft in communicating cancer science to the public.
Before the conclusion, the crowd of researchers joined in unison to thank the U.S. Congress for rejecting proposed cuts to research funding. Thousands of placards were raised, each of them reading, “Thank you Congress!”
The Opening Ceremony then came to a close with a powerful exhortation from Foti.
“The discoveries presented at this meeting will travel far and wide beyond these halls. And they will move us ever closer to a future in which cancer is prevented, detected early, and cured,” she said. “Thank you for your brilliance and your ceaseless commitment to the mission we share. The future is bright, and it is you who will light the path forward to more progress against cancer!”
The recording of the full session is available for registered Annual Meeting attendees through October 2026 on the virtual meeting platform.
More from the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 »
Keep up with the latest from the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, whether you are attending in person or virtually. View a photo gallery of scenes from San Diego, join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #AACR26, and read coverage of upcoming sessions in AACR Annual Meeting News.
