Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Experts to Present Leading Edge Research at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026

Physicians and scientists from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) will join oncology experts and members of the global cancer research community to present the latest advances in cancer discovery at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, taking place April 17-22, in San Diego, California.

MSK investigators will share significant new findings and participate in high-impact sessions spanning cancer metastasis, immuno-oncology, molecular biology and genetics, early-phase drug development, tumor evolution, computational oncology, and precision medicine. MSK experts will also be available for commentary on emerging trends and innovations shaping the future of cancer research and care.

• Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD, will discuss RNA-processing regulation of anti-tumor immune responses on April 21, 2026, from 1:25 PM-1:45 p.m. PT.
• Vinod Balachandran, MD, will present updates on personalized neoantigen vaccines for pancreatic cancer on April 20, 2026, from 1:35 PM-1:55 p.m. PT.
• Michael Foote, MD, will share new findings on genomic HER2 amplification and its potential to predict complete clinical response in a phase II study of induction tucatinib and trastuzumab in locally advanced rectal cancer on April 18, 2026, from 12:35 PM-12:45 p.m. PT.
• Eileen O'Reilly, MD, will discuss daraxonrasib as a first-line treatment for stage IV pancreatic cancer. This KRAS-targeted therapy may offer greater effectiveness versus chemotherapy. Her presentation will take place on April 21, 2026, from 2:00 PM-5:00 p.m. PT.
• Dana Pe'er, PhD, will discuss decoding tissue architecture on April 19, 2026, from 1:30 PM-1:50 p.m. PT.
• Charles Sawyers, MD, will speak in the AACR Opening Plenary on how cancer cells evade targeted therapy by altering cellular identity on April 19, 2026, from 9:40 AM-10:07 a.m. PT.

AACR Awards & Honors

MSK's Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, and Ross L. Levine, MD, have been elected as Fellows of the AACR Academy

MSK's Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, and Ross L. Levine, MD, have been elected as Fellows of the AACR Academy, one of the highest honors bestowed by AACR. Election to the AACR Academy recognizes extraordinary scientists whose work has made a profound and lasting impact on cancer research. Drs. Offit and Levine join 18 Fellows of the AACR Academy from MSK previously elected over the course of the program's 13-year history.

Dr. Offit was elected for trailblazing research in hereditary cancer genetics, including the discovery of BRCA2 mutations in Ashkenazi Jewish populations, which led to the first genome-wide association study linking BRCA2 to breast cancer risk. His work further identified recurrent APC, BLM, and MSH2 gene mutations in colon cancer, helping to shape modern approaches to inherited cancer risk stratification, prevention, and early detection.

Dr. Levine was elected for groundbreaking contributions to defining the molecular biology of myeloid malignancies, including the discovery of key driver mutations, characterization of oncogenic signaling pathways such as JAK-STAT, and investigation of epigenetic mechanisms that influence disease progression in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Fellows are nominated and elected through a rigorous, multistep, peer-reviewed process that evaluates scientific achievements and contributions to the global cancer research community. Only individuals whose work has made a profound and lasting impact on cancer research are selected. The Class of 2026 includes 24 newly elected Fellows, bringing the total membership of the AACR Academy to 399.

MSK's Luis A. Diaz Jr., MD, FAACR Awarded the AACR-Joseph H. Burchenal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research

MSK's Luis A. Diaz Jr., MD, was awarded the AACR-Joseph H. Burchenal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research. This award recognizes outstanding achievements in clinical cancer research. Dr. Diaz is being recognized for his pioneering discoveries that have transformed cancer treatment options such as biomarker-driven immunotherapies and for demonstrating that tumors with mismatch repair deficiencies and microsatellite instability are highly responsive to immune checkpoint blockade. Dr. Diaz has also advanced the use of circulating tumor DNA to detect minimal residual disease and led clinical trials of PD-1 blockade in mismatch repair-deficient cancers, including rectal cancer studies that featured complete responses with immunotherapy alone. His work established defective DNA repair as a predictive biomarker for immunotherapy response and enabled the first tissue-agnostic approval of a cancer therapy based on a molecular signature. His award lecture will be held on Monday, April 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PT.

MSK's Ross L. Levine, MD, Elected to AACR Board of Directors

Ross L. Levine, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of MSK, was also elected to the AACR Board of Directors, one of five individuals chosen to serve in the 2026-2029 term.

CONTACT
Rebecca Williams
[email protected]