Good morning, and welcome to another great day filled with incredible science, professional development, and more! The day kicks off with the Opening Ceremony of the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, featuring remarks from AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), and AACR President Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, about the banner year AACR has had and the bold initiatives it’s taking into the coming year and beyond.

We’re so thrilled that National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Anthony G. Letai, MD, PhD, FAACR, will also be speaking at the Opening Ceremony!

The event will also include recognition of several awardees, including those receiving the:

• 2026 AACR Public Service Award;
• 2026 AACR Outstanding Achievement Award for Service to Cancer Science and Medicine;
• AACR-Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research;
• AACR Distinguished Award for Patient Advocacy and Engagement; and
• AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism.

Immediately following the Opening Ceremony, the Opening Plenary will expand on the meeting theme of “Precision, Partnership, Purpose: Advancing Cancer Science to Save Lives Globally” with an incredible lineup of pioneers who are fearlessly pushing the boundaries of cancer science and medicine.

• Charles L. Sawyers, MD, FAACR, will discuss lineage plasticity and its implications for treatment resistance.
• Carl H. June, MD, FAACR, will examine mechanisms of resistance to CAR T-cell therapies and strategies to extend cell therapies to solid tumors.
• Georg E. Winter, PhD, will present on targeted protein degradation, including new treatments based on molecular glues and degraders.
• Regina Barzilay, PhD, will discuss the application of artificial intelligence tools to enhance therapeutic discovery.

With these world-renowned scientists reporting on some of the most exciting areas in cancer research, the Opening Plenary is not to be missed!

The day also includes the first two of four highly anticipated Clinical Trials Plenary Sessions, during which you’ll hear about potentially practice-changing clinical trial results, as well as the science behind each trial. Clinical Trial Plenary Session 1 begins at 1 p.m. PT and will feature advances in precision oncology; Clinical Trial Plenary Session 2 begins at 3:30 p.m. PT and will focus on therapeutic advances in antibody-drug conjugates.

The three-part New Drugs on the Horizon series also begins today with Part 1 at 1 p.m. PT and Part 2 at 3 p.m. PT. This series will feature the first disclosures of 12 small- and large-molecule agents that are currently being, or will soon be, actively investigated in clinical trials. These sessions, held in association with the AACR Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group, provide a preview of the potential therapeutic advances to come and are great for academic and industry researchers alike!

Don’t forget to stop by the Exhibit Hall, which opens today at noon PT, and come explore the first Poster Session at 2 p.m. PT for lots of great science. Be sure to also visit AACR Central in the Sails Pavilion to learn about everything AACR has to offer.

It would be impossible to list all the great scientific sessions today, but a few additional ones to highlight include:

• the Major Symposium Beyond Chromosomes: Mechanisms, Consequences, and Therapeutic Opportunities of Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA);
• the Advances in Survivorship Research session Early-Onset Cancers: Interventions, Survivorship, and Novel Treatment Approaches;
• the Advances in Prevention Research session Precision Screening: Opportunities to Enhance the Benefits of Cancer Screening;
• the Advances in Population Sciences session Advances in the Use of Geospatial and Neighborhood Data for Cancer Population Sciences Research and Translation; and
• the Advances in Technology session Shaping the Future of AI: The Role of Pathology in the Development of Foundational Models.

We also have the privilege of hearing from several visionaries as they deliver their award lectures this afternoon:

• Douglas R. Lowy, MD, FAACR, and John T. Schiller, PhD, FAACR, recipients of the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research, will speak at noon PT.
• James P. Allison, PhD, FAACR, recipient of the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research, will speak at 3 p.m. PT.
• Dennis Lo, DM, DPhil, recipient of the AACR-Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship, will speak at 3 p.m. PT.
• David L. Rimm, MD, PhD, recipient of the AACR James S. Ewing-Thelma B. Dunn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pathology in Cancer Research, will speak at 3:15 p.m. PT.
• David C. Lyden, MD, PhD, recipient of the AACR-Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship, will speak at 4:30 p.m. PT.
• Eliezer M. Van Allen, MD, recipient of the AACR-Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research, will speak at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Siu will close out today’s scientific program at 5:30 p.m. PT, when she delivers her Presidential Address on “Mapping the Molecular Landscape of Head and Neck Cancer to Inform Pan-Tumor Targeting.”

This evening, the Minorities in Cancer Research (MICR) constituency group will host a Meet-and-Greet event open to all Annual Meeting attendees interested in learning more about MICR. Any AACR member who supports the mission of MICR is welcome to join the group.

The evening also includes Town Meetings hosted by the AACR Scientific Working Groups on Pathology in Cancer Research, Population Sciences, Pediatric Cancer, and Radiation Science and Medicine.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT, the evening’s Networking Hubs offer a fun way to socialize and network with colleagues, potential collaborators, and some of the most respected investigators in the cancer research community. 

Two Professional Development Events held this evening will present additional opportunities to advance your career:

• During “Personalized Career Conversations,” AACR Associate Members will participate in 15-minute one-on-one conversations with distinguished cancer researchers from academia, government, industry, and other sectors.
• “Building Your Effective Mentorship Team: Challenges, Successes, and Essential Strategies at Every Stage in Your Career” will offer tips for all AACR members regardless of where they are in their careers, from trainees to established investigators.

We hope you’ll still have some steam left after this busy day to join us at the Annual Reception from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. PT for a night of great music, socializing, and dancing! The event will feature live music by The CheckPoints, a band comprised of over a dozen scientists working in the immunology and cancer fields. Read last year’s article about the band to learn about its history and celebrated members on Cancer Research Catalyst, the official blog of the AACR.

Have a great time today and tonight, and we’ll see you tomorrow morning for the Plenary Session “AI Revolution in Cancer Research”!

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

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.