Press Release

Mount Sinai Researchers Highlight Advances in Cancer Science at 2026 AACR Annual Meeting in San Diego

San Diego, CA
(April 15, 2026)

Researchers from the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center will present pioneering discoveries across cancer biology, experimental therapeutics, and data-driven precision oncology at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, taking place Friday, April 17, through Wednesday, April 22, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego.

The AACR Annual Meeting is one of the world’s leading forums for cancer research, convening scientists, clinicians, and patient advocates to share breakthroughs spanning cancer biology, translational science, clinical trials, and survivorship.

“The AACR Annual Meeting provides a global stage for transformative cancer research,” says Ramon E. Parsons, MD, PhD, Director of the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center and Dean for Cancer Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Our investigators are advancing innovative approaches, from decoding tumor biology to developing next-generation therapies, that have the potential to significantly improve outcomes for patients.”

Mount Sinai researchers will deliver oral presentations and posters across multiple scientific tracks, with contributions highlighting melanoma immunogenicity, RAS-targeted therapies, AI-driven drug discovery, and the impact of environmental exposures on cancer outcomes.

Notable oral presentations from Mount Sinai faculty at the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting:

Session ED49 - Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in the Tumor Microenvironment and Distant Niches
The contribution of the ECM microenvironment to metastatic dormancy
Jose Javier Bravo-Cordero, PhD*
Friday, April 17, 4:46 pm
Ballroom 20 CD - Upper Level - Convention Center
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/21436/presentation/504

* Dr. Bravo-Cordero is also serving as a Judging Panel member for the AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism, which will be awarded on Sunday, April 19.

Session ED26 - When Tumors Act Like Viruses: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Frontiers
Immune responses to viral mimicry in the TME
Nicolas Vabret, PhD
April 17, 5:45 pm
Room 31 - Upper Level - Convention Center
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/21436/presentation/631

Session ED23 - Tumor Immunology for Non-Immunologists: Back to Basics
Tumor immunology in clinical practice: responses, biomarkers, toxicities
Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, PhD
Saturday, April 18, 10:55 am
Ballroom 20 AB - Upper Level - Convention Center
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/21436/presentation/1717

Session ED30 - Macrophages as Therapeutic Gatekeepers: From Biology to Clinical Application
The macrophage makeover: Tailoring innate immunity for cancer therapy
Thomas Marron, MD, PhD
April 18, 3:30 pm
Room 33 - Upper Level - Convention Center
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/21436/presentation/555

Session MW05 - Deep Learning in Digital Pathology: From Morphology to Multimodal Biomarkers
Implementing computational biomarkers for real-world translation
Gabriele Campanella, PhD
April 18, 3 pm
Ballroom 6 CF - Upper Level - Convention Center
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/21436/presentation/476

Session AOS01 - Advances in Bladder Cancer Research and Treatment: Pathways to Precision Medicine
Advances in the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Matthew Galsky, MD
Sunday, April 19, 1:30 pm
Room 11 - Upper Level - Convention Center
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/21436/presentation/611

Posters include: 
Integrating Connectivity Mapping Resources to Prioritize and Personalize Drug Candidates for Individual Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients
Lily Taub, MSc
April 19, 2 pm-5 pm
Section 3, board #16, poster 54

Decoding Melanoma Immunogenicity: A Comprehensive Proteogenomic, Immunopeptidomic, and Metabolomic Atlas
Pei Wang, PhD
April 19, 3 pm

Identifying Tumor-Specific Membrane Targets, Therapeutics, and Matching Cell Lines for Experimental Validation With the Multiomics2Targets2 Workflow
Anna Byrd, MEng
Monday, April 20, 9 am-12 pm
Poster section 13, board # 19. Poster number: 1425

Adaptive and Acquired Mechanisms Underlying RAS-Mutant Tumor Response to Mutant and State Selective RAS Inhibitors
Ziyue Kou, PhD
April 20, 2 pm-5 pm

A Spatial-Trapping Mechanisms of RAF by RAF/MEK Glue Enables Full-Dose Combination With a Pan-RAF Inhibitor And Drives Potent, RAS-Mutant Tumor-Selective MAPK and Growth Inhibition
Bijaya Gaire, PhD
April 20, 2 pm-5 pm

Tumor-Selective Dimeric and Monomeric RAF Targeting With a Next-Generation Type 1 RAF Inhibitor
Mathieu Desaunay, PhD
April 20, 2 pm-5 pm
Poster section: 11, Poster number: 2940

Profiling Tumor Selectivity of State- and Paralog-Selective RAS Inhibitors Through a Signaling Inhibition Index (SII)
Beau Baars
April 20

Anti-GARP Reverts Immune Suppression and Extends Overall Survival in a MASH-HCC Murine Model Resistant to Anti-PDL1+Anti-VEGFA Therapy
Júlia Huguet-Pradell, MSc
April 20, 9 am-12 pm

Chemical Composition of Fine Particulate Matter and Mortality of Older Lung Cancer Patients
Yaguang Wei, PhD
Tuesday, April 21

Long-Term Exposure to Wildfire Smoke PM2.5 and Survival of Older Lung Cancer Patients
Yaguang Wei, PhD
April 21

For more information about 2026 AACR visit:
https://www.aacr.org/meeting/aacr-annual-meeting-2026/

Tags: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Health System, Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center, Research, Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Its comprehensive system includes seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. Together, the Health System comprises approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses.

As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.

Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York by Newsweek and No. 5 on the magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.