JKTG SYMPOSIUM 2025: ADVANCING BREAST CANCER RESEARCH BY TARGETING TUMOR–IMMUNE INTERACTIONS

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOCUS ON THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?

You get results: faster, sharper, and more aligned with what patients truly need.

That was the driving force behind the 9th annual JKTG Symposium, held October 15, 2025 in Washington D.C. This year’s theme, "Improving Breast Cancer Outcomes: Revealing and Targeting Tumor–Immune Interactions," was more than a title. It was a call to action.

We welcomed leading breast cancer researchers and clinicians from institutions across the country:

Stanford, Dana-Farber, UNC-Chapel Hill, Weill Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Johns Hopkins, Moffitt Cancer Center, MD Anderson, Indiana, Harvard, Georgetown, OHSU, USC, Texas A&M, University of Maryland and more. And that’s just the short list.

FOCUSING ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM'S ROLE IN BREAST CANCER

This year’s sessions took a deep dive into the immune landscape of breast cancer:

• Immune detection and how early response mechanisms influence outcomes

• Immune regulation, including how tumors escape or suppress immune activity

• Therapeutic response in the context of effector function and immunotherapy

These aren’t abstract topics. They’re the research frontlines of how we diagnose, treat, and understand breast cancer’s most stubborn forms.

THE JAYNE KOSKINAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

We were proud to feature Dr. Christina Curtis of Stanford University as our keynote speaker. Her research leverages computational modeling and molecular profiling to uncover how and why cancers form, evolve, and metastasize. Her insights are helping redefine breast cancer classifications, and reshaping the future of prevention, detection, and treatment.

WHY THIS SYMPOSIUM MATTERS

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

“Practice makes perfect isn’t true. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

The same applies to research. You can’t expect meaningful results if you don’t put the right people on the right problems. That’s what this symposium is about: putting brilliant minds in the same room, fostering cross-institutional collaboration, and letting the sparks fly. Because no single lab or hospital can solve breast cancer alone. But together, we can accelerate the pace of discovery.

Until next year, my thanks to all who made this symposium a success, and to all who continue working to improve breast cancer outcomes for patients everywhere.