PHOENIX, November 7, 2026 — The 41st Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is underway in Phoenix, Arizona, where researchers are tackling major cancer immunotherapy challenges, including overcoming resistance to PD-1 immunotherapy. One of the biggest unanswered questions in cancer immunotherapy today is how to overcome acquired resistance to PD-1 immunotherapy, a challenge that limits the effectiveness of this treatment in many patients.
Understanding Immunotherapy Resistance
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a professional society with more than 2,400 members representing 22 medical specialties from 42 countries around the world. SITC’s goal is to bring together all aspects of cancer immunology and immunotherapy as standard treatments alongside surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. According to SITC, its goal is to expedite the safe transfer of both basic and applied research to the clinical setting. At the SITC 2026 Annual Meeting, researchers are presenting new findings on the mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance and potential strategies to overcome it.
Novel Targets and Combination Therapies
Pilatus Biosciences presented preclinical data at SITC 2026 demonstrating the potential of its anti-CD36 monoclonal antibody, PLT012, to overcome acquired resistance to PD-1 immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma. The research identified CD36-mediated lipid metabolism as a key driver of acquired resistance to PD-1 immunotherapy. Additionally, Phio Pharmaceuticals presented clinical data from its Phase 1b clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of INTASYL PH-762 as a neoadjuvant treatment for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. ImmunoGenesis also presented IND-enabling development progress and therapeutic potential of its novel STING agonist, IMGS-203, for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma.
Advancing Gene Silencing and STING Agonists
Phio Pharmaceuticals’ INTASYL technology is designed to enhance the body’s immune cells to more effectively kill cancer cells. The company’s lead clinical development program, PH-762, silences the PD-1 gene implicated in various forms of skin cancer. ImmunoGenesis is developing a novel STING agonist, IMGS-203, which has shown promise in preclinical models of recurrent glioblastoma. BriaCell and BriaPro presented preclinical research findings on their Bria-OTS+ cellular immunotherapy platform and CD80-based immunotherapy programs, demonstrating immune-cell activation and tumor-cell killing across breast, prostate, and lung cancer models.
Looking Ahead to Next-Generation Therapies
The SITC 2026 Annual Meeting highlights the progress being made in understanding and addressing the challenges of cancer immunotherapy. While significant advances have been made, there is still much to be learned about how to overcome acquired resistance to PD-1 immunotherapy and how to develop effective combination therapies. Patients should talk to their doctor or oncologist about the latest developments in cancer immunotherapy and how they may be relevant to their individual treatment plans. As researchers continue to explore new targets and combination therapies, patients with cancer may have new treatment options on the horizon. The next step for these promising therapies will be to advance them into clinical development, where their safety and efficacy can be further evaluated. Talk to your doctor or oncologist.
Sources
- Phio Pharmaceuticals Announces Invitation for Oral Presentation at 41st Annual SITC Meeting (Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer)
- Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
- Pliant Therapeutics Announces Presentations at SITC 2026 – OncoDaily
- Pilatus Biosciences Presents New Preclinical Data at SITC 2026 Demonstrating Potential of PLT012 to Overcome Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer
- ImmunoGenesis to Present IND-Enabling Development Progress and Therapeutic Potential of IMGS-203, a Novel STING Agonist, at SITC 2026 Annual Meeting
- BriaCell and BriaPro to Present Preclinical Anti-Cancer Activity and Immunotherapy Findings at SITC 2026
Photo: Cygnusloop99 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
