Welcome to another exciting day at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025—we are in full swing now with a day full of great science and other events!

First up today is the Plenary Session at 8 a.m. CT on Innovative Technologies Driving Advances in Cancer Research in Hall B1, McCormick Place North (Level 3), featuring presentations on organoid models, CAR T cell design and development, cell-free whole genome sequencing in blood, and using electronic medical records and genomic data to match patients with therapies in clinical trials, as well as strategies for improving clinical trial design.

Today’s schedule also includes the Presidential Select Symposium: Leveraging Science to Reduce the Cancer Burden Worldwide, which caps off the 2024-2025 AACR Presidency of Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), FAACR. The session, organized and chaired by LoRusso, will be held at 10:15 a.m. CT in Room S105, McCormick Place South (Level 1), and features an international slate of speakers from the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Kenya, India, Australia, and Malaysia to discuss advances in improving global cancer care—including results from a large randomized clinical trial that compared the efficacy of single-dose vs. two-dose HPV vaccination in protecting against HPV16/18 infection.

During the third Clinical Trials Plenary Session, scheduled for 10:15 a.m. CT in Arie Crown Theater, McCormick Lakeside Center (Level 2), presenters will report potentially practice-changing trial results for non-small cell lung cancer, and the final New Drugs on the Horizon Session at 10:15 a.m. CT in Room S406 (Vista Ballroom), McCormick Place South (Level 4), will feature the first disclosures of four investigational agents.

The morning also features the Advances in Prevention Research Session on Comparative Oncology: Nature’s Solutions to Cancer Prevention at 10:15 a.m. CT in Room E350, McCormick Lakeside Center (Level 3). Of note, this topic was highly recommended by AACR members. Learn more about this topic and a fascinating recent study about cancer prevalence across vertebrates on Cancer Research Catalyst, the official AACR Blog.

Make sure to stop by the Exhibit Hall for today’s Poster Sessions—the first from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT and the second from 2 to 5 p.m. CT—to learn about exciting research advances on a wide range of topics.

The afternoon includes two Joint Sessions hosted in collaboration with the Japanese Cancer Association (JCA) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The AACR-JCA Joint Session: Aberrant Neural Mechanisms in Brain Tumor Development and Therapy will be held at 2:30 p.m. CT in Room E352, McCormick Lakeside Center (Level 3), and the AACR-ASCO Joint Session: Challenges and Opportunities in Theranostics will be at 4:45 p.m. CT in Room E450 A, McCormick Lakeside Center (Level 4).

The afternoon and evening also feature lectures from the following award recipients:

• Christopher R. Flowers, MD, recipient of the AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship, will speak at 3 p.m. CT in Room E351 of McCormick Lakeside Center (Level 3).
• William N. Hait, MD, PhD, FAACR, recipient of the AACR-Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research, will speak at 4:15 p.m. CT in Room E351 of McCormick Lakeside Center (Level 3).
• Shiva Malek, PhD, recipient of the AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research, will speak at 5 p.m. CT in Room S103 of McCormick Place South (Level 1).
• Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, recipient of the AACR-Joseph H. Burchenal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research, will speak at 5 p.m. CT in Room S401 of McCormick Place South (Level 4).
• Charles G. Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MSc, MD, recipient of the AACR-St. Baldrick’s Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pediatric Cancer Research, will speak at 5 p.m. CT in Room S106 of McCormick Place South (Level 1).
• Han Liang, PhD, recipient of the AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Cancer Research, will speak at 5:30 p.m. CT in Room E351 of McCormick Lakeside Center (Level 3).
• Karen H. Vousden, PhD, FAACR, recipient of the AACR-G.H.A. Clowes Award for Outstanding Basic Cancer Research, will speak at 5:30 p.m. CT in Room S404 of McCormick Place South (Level 4).

At 5 p.m. CT, the AACR Trust in Science Task Force will host a Special Session on Using Communication Effectively to Foster Trust in Science, Cultivate Engagement, and Improve Clinical Trial Participation. The session will be in Room E350, McCormick Lakeside Center (Level 3).

Also taking place at 5 p.m. CT is Part 1 of the Meet-the-Expert Sessions, with presentations from Caroline Dive, PhD, FAACR; Tak W. Mak, PhD, FAACR; Fabrice André, MD, PhD; and Elizabeth A. Platz, ScD, MPH. The Meet-the-Expert Sessions feature researchers who are leaders in their respective fields and offer the opportunity for attendees—particularly early-career researchers—to hear about their inspiring scientific journeys and even meet with these esteemed researchers afterwards.

In addition, four Forums will be held at 5 p.m. CT, covering fields such as immunotherapy, surgery, cancer models, and biostatistics.

Other scientific sessions of note include:

• the Advances in Organ Site Research Session on Rare Cancers: Role of Precision Genomics, Immunotherapy, and Novel Molecular/Clinical Trial Approaches;
• the Advances in Organ Site Research Session on Early-onset Colorectal Cancer: From Clinical Evidence to Biological Insights;
• the Advances in Technologies Session on Digital Twins in Cancer: New Era of Personalized Medicine;
• the Advances in Early Detection and Interception Session on Finding the Needles in the Haystack: Novel Technologies that Leverage the Cancer Genome, Epigenome, Repeatome, and Proteome for Cancer Detection;
• the Major Symposium on Redefining Cancer Survivorship for People Living With Advanced and Metastatic Cancers; and
• the Special Session on Advances in the Detection and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancers: SU2C Open Scientific Session.

The evening includes several Town Halls hosted by the AACR Working Groups on Cancer Evolution, Cancer Prevention, Chemistry in Cancer Research, Hematologic Malignancies, and Tumor Microenvironment. The Town Halls begin at 6:30 p.m. CT in Rooms S101-105 of McCormick Place South (Level 1).

In addition, the evening features two events from the Professional Development Series:

• Productive Peer Review: Improving Science While Avoiding Common Pitfalls will be moderated by the editors-in-chief of two AACR journals and focuses on becoming a proficient reviewer and effectively responding to reviewers’ comments. This event requires preregistration and begins at 5:30 p.m. CT in Regency CDE, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.
• Navigating the Path to a Successful Career in Cancer Research is a networking session in which attendees can discuss career development topics during informal roundtable discussions facilitated by scientists from academia, government, and industry. The event begins at 7 p.m. CT in Hall C, McCormick Place North (Level 1).

We hope you take advantage of all today’s lineup has to offer. See you for tomorrow morning’s Plenary Session on Targeting the Cancer Ecosystem!

For the most up-to-date program information, visit the AACR Annual Meeting App or Online Itinerary Planner.