CG render of T-cells in shallow depth of field

October 9-11, 2026

Third Annual 2026 Cell Coast Conference

Transformational Breakthroughs in Cell Therapies

Moffitt Cancer Center presents

2026 Cell Coast Conference

Join us for an exclusive, one-of-a-kind summit featuring updates on breakthroughs in research and treatment in the cell therapies space. Global thought leaders will share their perspectives on the current and future state of the liquid and solid tumor cell therapy landscape.

Conference Details

October 9-11, 2026
Tampa Hilton Downtown

Who Should Attend?

This conference is specifically crafted for professionals in the field, including cellular therapy practitioners, hematologists, community oncologists, pharmacists, advanced practice professionals and dedicated oncology nurses.

Particular attention will be paid to the interface between referring providers and cellular therapists, including when and how to refer patients. Ample time will be available for networking.

Cell Coast Conference Learning Objectives

Discuss groundbreaking advancements in target identification, tumor microenvironment interactions, and novel immune and non-immune cell therapies shaping the future of oncology. Evaluate the latest in cell therapy engineering, including synthetic biology, gene editing, and innovative platforms revolutionizing CAR-T, CRISPR and CAR-NK-cell therapies.

Explain key challenges in manufacturing, in vivo CAR-T expansion, persistence and precise delivery methods to maximize therapeutic success.

Advisory Board

View the Schedule

Poster Abstracts

2026 Cell Coast Advisory Board

Patrick Hwu, MD
Dr. Patrick Hwu
Moffitt Cancer Center

Dr. Kedar Kirtane
Moffitt Cancer Center

Fred Locke, MD
Dr. Frederick Locke
Moffitt Cancer Center

Dr. Stephanie Goff
National Institute of Health

Dr. Marco Ruella
University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Marco Davila
Roswell Park Cancer Center

2026 Cell Coast Conference Schedule

Join us in downtown Tampa, Florida, for a conference designed to bring together cancer research and providers.

Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Time	Session / Speaker
11:30 am – 12 pm	Registration
12 pm – 1 pm	Sponsor Hosted Networking Lunch Perna Mewawalla, MD
1:05 – 1:08 pm	Conference Welcome Patrick Hwu, MD \| Moffitt Cancer Center
1:08 – 1:10 pm	Keynote Introduction Frederick Locke, MD \| Moffitt Cancer Center
1:10 – 1:35 pm	New Findings in CAR T Cell Therapies Marcela Maus, MD, PhD \| Harvard Medical School
1:35 – 4:10 pm	Bispecific Antibodies – Clinical Advances and Practical Integration Workshop & Panel Discussion Sameh Gaballa, MD \| Moffitt Cancer Center Ken Shain \| Moffitt Cancer Center Dickran Kazandjian, MD \| Miller School of Medicine
5 – 8 pm	Cell Coast Waterfront Welcome Reception The Florida Aquarium

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Time	Session / Speaker
7:00 – 7:30 am	Registration & Coffee Bar in Exhibit Hall
7:30 – 8:20 am	Sponsor Hosted Breakfast Omar Castaneda Puglianini, MD
8:25 – 8:30 am	Welcome and Introduction Kedar Kirtane, MD \| Moffitt Cancer Center
8:30 – 8:55 am	Advances and Emerging Directions in Cellular Therapy Marco Ruella, MD \| University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine
8:55 – 9:55 am	Session I – Engineering Cell-Therapy Fitness, Function, and Delivery
8:55 – 9:05 am	Intracerebroventricular CAR T Cells for Glioblastoma Steve Bagley, MD \| University of Pennsylvania
9:05 – 9:15 am	JAK Inhibition and CAR T-cell Therapy in DLBCL Michael Jain, MD, PhD \| Moffitt Cancer Center
9:15 – 9:25 am	Metabolic Modulation of Cell Therapies Maayan Levy, PhD \| Stanford Medicine Department of Pathology
9:25 – 9:35 am	IL18 CART at Penn Jakub Svoboda, MD \| University of Pennsylvania
9:35 – 9:45 am	Immune-Related Adverse Events and BCMA CART Adam Cohen, MD \| University of Pennsylvania
9:45 – 9:55 am	Antibiotics and CAR T: Friend or Foe Roni Shouval, MD, PhD \| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
9:55 – 10:15 am	Panel Discussion and Q&A Stephanie Goff, MD \| National Cancer Institute
10:15 – 10:45 am	Sponsor Hosted Break & Exhibits
10:45 – 11:35 am	Session II – TIL Therapy – Engineering and Clinical Translation
10:45 – 10:55 am	Membrane-Bound IL15 Engineered TIL for Metastatic Melanoma Rodabe Amaria, MD \| MD Anderson
10:55 – 11:05 am	Inactivating SOCS1 and Regnase-1 in CRISPR/Cas9-engineered TIL Micah Benson, PhD \| KSQ Therapeutics
11:05 – 11:15 am	Personalized TIL for Patients with Cancer Stephanie Goff, MD \| National Cancer Institute
11:15 – 11:25 am	Real World Outcomes in TIL Lilit Karapetyan, MD, MS \| Moffitt Cancer Center
11:25 – 11:35 am	De-Personalizing Cancer Immunotherapy Through T Cell Multi-Omics Frank Lowery, PhD \| National Cancer Institute
11:35 – 11:55 am	Panel Discussion and Q&A Marco Ruella, MD \| University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine
12:00 – 1:00 pm	Networking Lunch & Exhibits
12:00 – 1:00 pm	Bispecific Antibodies Interactive Workshop – By Invitation Only
1:00 – 1:30 pm	Poster Presentations
1:40 – 2:50 pm	Session III – Next-Generation Cellular and T-Cell-Directed Therapies
1:40 – 1:50 pm	IL-7 and CAR T Cell Therapy Zach Crees, MD \| WashU
1:50 – 2:00 pm	AML CAR T Tony Daniyan, MD \| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2:00 – 2:10 pm	CD83 CAR T Cell for AML Marco Davila, MD, PhD \| Roswell Park Cancer Center
2:10 – 2:20 pm	Enhancing CD19 CAR T-Cell Function with IL-2 Mutein in High-Risk Relapsed/Refractory B-Cell Lymphoma Alex Niu, MD \| Roswell Park
2:20 – 2:30 pm	CART5 in PTCL at Penn Stefan Barta, MD, MS \| University of Pennsylvania
2:30 – 2:40 pm	Beyond Single-Antigen Targeting: Dual BCMA × GPRC5D CAR-T Therapy Doris Hansen, MD \| Moffitt Cancer Center
2:40 – 2:50 pm	Novel Targets and Hope in T-Cell Engagers for Acute Myeloid Leukemia David Sallman, MD \| Moffitt Cancer Center
2:50 – 3:10 pm	Panel Discussion and Q&A Frederick Locke, MD \| Moffitt Cancer Center
3:10 – 3:30 pm	Sponsor Hosted Breaks & Exhibits
3:15 – 4:15 pm	Session IV – Overcoming Barriers to Cell Therapy in Solid Tumors
3:35 – 3:45 pm	Sensitive HLA-Independent T Cell Receptors Overcome Tumor Antigen Heterogeneity in Solid Tumors Sophie Hanina, MD, PhD \| Columbia University Irving Medical Center
3:45 – 3:55 pm	Advancing TME-Primed Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors Saul Priceman, PhD \| Keck School of Medicine of USC
3:55 – 4:05 pm	Targeting Dynamic Tumor States with Engineered Immunity Zeda Zhang, PhD \| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
4:05 – 4:15 pm	IL36gamma Armored CAR T for Solid Tumor Malignancies Yihan Zuo, PhD \| Roswell Park
4:15 – 4:35 pm	Panel Discussion and Q&A Marco Davila, MD, PhD \| Roswell Park Cancer Center
5:30 – 7:30 pm	Craft River Cruise & Dinner

Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026

Time	Session / Speaker
9:00 – 9:45 am	Breakfast & Networking
9:45 – 10 am	Remarks and Poster Presentation Awards
10 – 11:30 am	Connect & Inspire: Mentor Match – Rotating Tables with Leading Experts & Trainees for Rapid Fire Q&A and Career Guidance
11:30 am	Conference Close

hand outstretched with AI medical icon

Call for Poster Abstracts

Investigators are invited to submit original research for a poster presentation. Submissions are encouraged across a broad range of topics, including:

Cellular therapy and immunotherapy
Translational and clinical oncology research
Biomarker discovery and precision medicine
Novel therapeutic strategies and resistance mechanisms
Clinical trials and real-world outcomes
Emerging technologies and data-driven approaches in cancer research

Accepted abstracts will be presented during designated poster sessions, offering opportunities for authors to engage directly with attendees, faculty, and industry partners.

Submit Poster Abstract