Two WashU Medicine physician-scientists will be honored, and 30 faculty members and others will present findings at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, taking place April 17-22 in San Diego.
At the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, WashU Medicine scientists and physician-researchers at Siteman Cancer Center are demonstrating the scale, depth and translational impact of cancer research. With national leadership represented across scientific presentations, prestigious honors and governance of one of the field’s leading research organizations, Siteman’s presence at AACR underscores its role as a driving force in advancing cancer outcomes worldwide.
More than 20,000 scientists, clinicians, other health care professionals, survivors, patients and advocates gather at the annual conference each year to share and discuss the latest breakthroughs. Topics range from population science and prevention to cancer biology, translational and clinical studies to survivorship and advocacy.
Thirty WashU Medicine faculty members, fellows and others associated with Siteman Cancer Center will present their findings this year. They include two researchers who will each receive one of AACR’s highest honors and a third who will be installed as one of the newest members of the AACR Board of Directors.
“Siteman Cancer Center is proud to continue our strong presence at the AACR Annual Meeting, where collaboration and discovery are accelerating progress against cancer at an unprecedented pace,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, director of Siteman, which is based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine in St. Louis. “The work our researchers are sharing reflects not only scientific excellence, but also a deep commitment to improving outcomes for patients everywhere. Being part of this global exchange of ideas helps ensure that innovations developed here can translate into real-world impact for the communities and individuals we serve — and beyond.”
Prestigious Awards for Two Internationally Renowned Siteman Cancer Center Investigators
Two preeminent WashU Medicine physician-scientists from Siteman will be honored with prestigious awards at the ACCR Annual Meeting:
John F. DiPersio, MD, PhD, the Virginia E. and Sam J. Golman Professor of Medicine and director of the Center for Gene and Cellular Immunology, will receive the ACCR’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Blood Cancer Research.
Internationally recognized for oncology research and clinical breakthroughs, DiPersio is a pioneer in advancing treatment options in hematologic malignancies such as leukemia as well as advances in stem cell transplantation and cellular immunotherapy. His work has been essential to the development of the hematopoietic stem cell mobilizing agents plerixafor and motixafortide. Among his most recent accomplishments is an innovative immunotherapy for rare and aggressive types of blood cancer — called WU-CART-007 — that received Breakthrough Therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March. DiPersio will lecture at the AACR Annual Meeting on the latest advances in leukemia biology and emerging cellular therapies.
Award Presentation: AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Blood Cancer Research
Lecture: Killing the bad without the good: CART for T-cell malignancies
When: April 21, 4:15-5 p.m. PT
Where: Room 30, San Diego Convention Center
Kenneth M. Murphy, MD, PhD, will be presented with the ACCR-Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology. The award recognizes scientists whose outstanding research has a major impact on the understanding of cancer. Murphy, the Eugene Opie First Centennial Professor in pathology and immunology at WashU Medicine, is credited for groundbreaking research showing how different types of dendritic cells develop and take on specific roles in controlling the body’s immune responses. He uncovered the genetic “programs” that tell immature cells to become specific kinds of dendritic cells, including discovering how a gene called BATF3 helps create a specific dendritic cell that is critical for activating “killer” T cells to destroy infected or cancerous cells. His work has been noted as not only advancing but also reshaping the field of cancer biology and immunology. His latest paper, published April 15 in Nature, shows how mRNA technology further opens doors for potential new ways to prevent and treat cancer.
Award Presentation: ACCR-Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology
Lecture: DC subsets: Why so much specialization?
When: April 21, 3-3:45 p.m. PT
Where: Room 30, San Diego Convention Center
Leading Scientist Joins AACR Board of Directors
Sheila A. Stewart, PhD, Associate Director for Basic Science and Co-Leader of the Mechanisms of Cancer Biology Program at Siteman Cancer Center, was recently elected to the AACR Board of Directors and will begin her official duties at the annual meeting.
A leading cancer scientist, Stewart also is the Gery Cori Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at WashU Medicine. She studies how age-related changes to noncancerous cells called stroma modulate immune responses and promote the development of cancer. As a board member, Stewart will help oversee the strategic direction and governance of the AACR, one of the world’s largest cancer research organizations.
In addition to her board installation, Stewart will chair a discussion on cancer therapy-induced comorbidities and present specifically on chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.
Chair: Session ED01 – The Dark Side of Cancer Therapies: Therapy-Induced Comorbidities Across the Lifespan
Presentation: Therapy-induced senescence drives chemotherapy-induced neuropathy
When: April 17, 3-4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Room 28, San Diego Convention Center
Other Notable Key Presentations
Multiple other researchers from Siteman and WashU Medicine will present lectures and key findings during the AACR Annual Meeting on topics such as:
- Advances in immunotherapies
- Novel therapeutics, combination drug therapies and new cellular drug targets
- Multiomic insights for next generation cancer research
- Cancer prediction models
- Radiomics and artificial intelligence in medical imaging
- Oncology clinical trial updates
Below are highlights. All presentations will be at the San Diego Convention Center.
Friday, April 17
Li Ding, PhD, the David English Smith Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Section Director of Computational Biology, and Assistant Director of The McDonnell Genome Institute at WashU Medicine
Ding will discuss how ecological and evolutionary principles, combined with the extensive data resources of the Human Tumor Atlas Network, are informing new strategies to predict and overcome tumor progression and therapy resistance. She is lead investigator of the HTAN at WashU Medicine.
Presentation: From precancer to metastasis: Evolution and microenvironment of breast and prostate tumors
When: 3:36-3:56 p.m. PT
Where: Room 30
Sunday, April 19
Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, the Niess-Gain Professor of Surgery and Chief of Public Health Sciences at WashU Medicine and Associate Director of Prevention and Control at Siteman Cancer Center
Presentation: Translating absolute risk of breast cancer into screening frequency: A framework to guide precision screening
When: 1:05-1:25 p.m. PT
Where: Room 5
Monday, April 20
Carl DeSelm, MD, PhD, associate professor of radiation oncology at WashU Medicine
Presentation: 4008 – A novel, first in class chimeric antigen receptor dendritic cell platform driving broad and durable antitumor immunity in solid tumors
When: 3:05-3:20 p.m. PT
Where: Ballroom 20 AB
Xue-Yan He, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology at WashU Medicine
Presentation: 4080 – The neural bridge: Stress-remodeled enteric nervous system (ENS) in the colitis-cancer transition
When: 3:05-3:20 p.m. PT
Where: Ballroom 6 CF
About Siteman Cancer Center
Siteman Cancer Center is one of only a few cancer centers to receive the highest rating of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) — “exceptional.” Comprising the cancer research, prevention and treatment programs of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine in St. Louis, Siteman treats adults at six locations, including the new Gary C. Werths Building for outpatient care and an inpatient hospital on the Washington University Medical Campus, and partners with St. Louis Children’s Hospital in the treatment of pediatric patients at Siteman Kids. All locations offer patient-focused, multidisciplinary care driven by scientific breakthroughs and powered by WashU Medicine physicians.
Quick Facts
- Established in 1999, Siteman is recognized as a leading cancer center by its peers and the NCI.
- Every year, 75,000+ people are treated at Siteman, including 12,000+ who are newly diagnosed.
- Siteman is powered by 600+ WashU Medicine physicians and scientists focused on the latest in cancer treatment and research.
- With 9,000+ patients enrolled every year in 1,600+ clinical research studies, including 600+ therapeutic clinical trials, Siteman offers access to investigational therapies not generally available to the public.
- Siteman has held NCI’s highest rating — “exceptional” — since 2015, based on a rigorous review of its research programs.
- Siteman is also proud to receive more than $185 million annually for basic and clinical oncology research grants, including $66 million from the NCI, funding 1,400+ research projects. This includes three Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants, for endometrial, leukemia and pancreatic research.
- In 2024, WashU faculty at Siteman filed for 198 patents.
- WashU Medicine has the second-largest research funding portfolio from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) among U.S. medical schools.