MDPI USA and MDPI Canada | Los Angeles Subject Workshop—Cutting-Edge Advances in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy: From Basic Science to Clinical Impact, 8 May 2026

Dear researchers,

On behalf of MDPI, we are pleased to extend a personal invitation to you to attend the MDPI Los Angeles Subject Workshop.

Aiming to further promote in-depth dialogue among experts and scholars on the advances in oncology, and to advance academic exchange, MDPI US and Canada will host the workshop “Cutting-Edge Advances in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy: From Basic Science to Clinical Impact” on 8 May 2026. We cordially invite you to participate.

Conference date: 8 May 2026 | 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Conference location: HSC Conference Center, 2200 Trojan Wy, 070 South San Pablo Lot, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States

Conference Chair:

Dr. W. Martin Kast University of Southern California/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, USA

Conference Program:

Time	Session
8:30–9:00 a.m.	Registration
9:00–9:10 a.m.	Opening Speech
9:10–9:40 a.m.	Bio-Active Lipid Metabolites Modulate Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy Dr. Sonia Sharma, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
9:40–10:10 a.m.	Reimagining T-Cell Therapy: An Unconventional Path to Universal CAR-T Cells Dr. Lili Yang, University of California
10:10–10:40 a.m.	Current Approaches to Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunodiagnosis Dr. Alan L. Epstein, USC Keck School of Medicine
10:40–11:10 a.m.	Coffee Break
11:10–11:40 a.m.	Engulf, Eradicate, and Coordinate: Engineering Rac-Enhanced CAR-Macrophages to Improve Solid Tumor Immunotherapy Dr. Abhinava Mishra, University of Louisville
11:40 a.m. –12:10 p.m.	Mutated T-lymphocytes in Myeloid Malignancies: Friends or Foes? Dr. Casey O'Connell, USC Keck School of Medicine
12:10–12:40 p.m.	Supercharged Natural Killer (sNK) Cells Inhibit Tumor Progression and Restore Endogenous Immune Function in Humanized BLT Mice Dr. Kawaljit Kaur, ImmuneLink, LLC
12:40–2:00 p.m.	Buffet Lunch
2:00–2:30 p.m.	Imaging Treatment Response Criteria in the Era of Cancer Immunotherapy Prof. Dr. Hossein Jadvar, University of Southern California
2:30–3:00 p.m.	Dissecting HNSCC Progression via a Multimodal Single-Cell Atlas Reveals a Pathogenic Epithelial–Myeloid Feedback Loop Dr. De-Chen Lin, University of Southern California
3:00–3:30 p.m.	MDPI, Market Dynamics, and Publishing Trends in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Dr. Sheridan Baker, MDPI
3:30-4:00 p.m.	Coffee Break
4:00–4:30 p.m.	AngioVax: Second Generation Anti-Angiogenesis Immunotherapy to Enter Clinical Trials Ms. Famela Ramos, Aureum Therapeutics
4:30–5:00 p.m.	The Immunologic Microenvironment in Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma and Implications to Treatment Dr. Henry K. Wong, University of California San Diego and San Diego Veterans Administration Health System
5:00–5:30 p.m.	HPV16 E6 and E7 Expressing Cancer Cells Suppress the Anti-tumor T-cell immune response by Upregulating IL-23 Expression in Macrophages, Opening a New Strategy to Improve Therapeutic Vaccines Dr. W. Martin Kast, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
5:30 p.m.	Closing Ceremony

After decades of hope that cancer immunotherapy could become the fourth effective treatment of cancer—after surgery, radiation and chemotherapy—the field has finally advanced enough that this is now a reality for a limited number of cancers. Checkpoint inhibitors have shown effectiveness, some antibody treatments have done the same, and CAR-based therapies have shown success in liquid types of cancer. However, major hurdles remain in the solid cancers. There are trafficking issues for immune effector cells, and exhaustion of these cells affects their potential. A multitude of tumor immune escape mechanisms require more in-depth studies on cancer immunology, the use of therapeutic vaccines, and the tumor immune microenvironment. This includes finding actionable biomarkers that can guide the development of more effective cancer immunotherapies and patient selection. The design of clinical trials in this field also needs attention, as tumor immune responses could result in initial tumor growth or late responses. This workshop will explore these issues at a very exciting time for the field.

Topics include:

• Interdisciplinary research;
• Cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention;
• Cancer biology;
• Molecular mechanisms;
• Translational research.

Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/XZweVunq25.

Registration deadline: 5 May 2026.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email eventplanning@mdpi.com.

We look forward to your participation!