By Candace Gwaltney
April 14, 2026
IU cancer experts share latest research at 2026 AACR annual meeting
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 will bring together more than 22,000 people for the April 17-22 meeting in San Diego. Many IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers will present impactful work that advances cancer research. With 27 abstracts selected for the meeting, the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center will be well-represented during the annual meeting.
Nearly 50 cancer center members and trainee members are authors of abstracts for this year’s meeting. Meeting highlights include:
- Jiang Bian, PhD, will present “Real-world evidence on GLP-1 receptor agonists and cancer: Risk, outcomes, and open questions” as part of the education session “From Mechanisms to Real-World Evidence: The Emerging Role of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Cancer Prevention and Outcomes.” He also serves as the chairperson for the session on April 18.
- Richard Carpenter, PhD, is a co-chair for a mini symposium, “Novel Molecular Mechanisms Driving Cancer Metastasis” on April 20.
- Stephanie Adama, a cancer center and translational cancer biology PhD trainee, is a recipient of the Women in Cancer Research Scholar Award. She will present the abstract “Ancestry-enriched ACKR1 germline variant and its functional impact on normal and breast cancer biology” during a poster session April 21.
The AACR Annual Meeting program covers the latest discoveries across the spectrum of cancer research — from population science and prevention; to cancer biology, translational, and clinical studies; to survivorship and advocacy — and highlights the work of the best in research and medicine from institutions all over the world.
The following cancer center members are authors on abstracts that will be part of poster sessions: Steven P. Angus; Niranjan Awasthi; Matthew Bochman; DuyKhanh Pham Ceppa; Christopher D. Collier; Emma H. Doud; Carla S. Fisher; Ed Greenfield; Feng Guo; Kun Huang; Matthew R. Jordan; Patrick J. Loehrer; Ana S. Leal; Yunlong Liu; Tao Lu; Kathy D. Miller; Harikrishna Nakshatri; Pankita H. Pandya; Karen E. Pollok; Pamela L. Mendoza Munoz; M. Reza Saadatzadeh; Huda Salman; Bryan P. Schneider; Patricia Silveyra; Kirk A. Staschke; John J. Turchi; Y. Alan Wang; and Ronald C. Wek.
Additionally, the following cancer center trainees are authors on abstracts that will be part of poster sessions: Stephanie Adama; Faranak Alipourgivi; Maksat Babayev; Habeebunnisa Begum; Omar A. Borges-Sosa; David Eisenbarth; Carolyn D. Ekpruke; Madison E. Gerbig; Zhongping He; Sedat Kacar; Jessica Kersey; Malak Khalifeh; Rada Malko; Rohit Pravin Nagare; Dustin Rousselle; Robert H. Simmons; Lauren K. Stevens; Soumya Tumbath; and Tadahito Yasuda.
