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Program notes — AACR Pancreatic Cancer 2026

Pre-meeting prep for AACR Special Conference: Pancreatic Cancer 2026 — Hilton San Diego Bayfront, September 25 – 28, 2026. This page assembles tracks, expected sessions, anticipated readouts, key dates, and the live-coverage plan. Companion artifact to index.md and the load-bearing talks/index.md.

Status: Pre-meeting, ~4.5 months out. Everything below is reconstructed from prior-year AACR Pancreatic programs (2022 Boston, 2024 Boston, 2025), AACR 2026 Annual pancreatic-track content, JPM 2026 sponsor guidance, Q1 2026 earnings, ASCO 2026 preview material, and analyst notes. AACR Pancreatic 2026 program release is expected August 2026; this file will be rewritten then.

Key dates

Date Milestone Source
~Jun 2026 (TBD) Abstract submission deadline (typical AACR Special Conference window) aacr.org
~Aug 2026 (TBD) Late-breaking abstract deadline aacr.org
~Aug 2026 (TBD) Full program release aacr.org
~Sep 11–18, 2026 Abstract supplement publishes in Cancer Research proceedings aacrjournals.org
Fri Sep 25, 2026 Conference opens (afternoon plenary / opening keynote, evening reception) venue: Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Sat–Sun Sep 26–27 Major symposia, mini-symposia, poster sessions full-program days
Mon Sep 28, 2026 Closing plenary / awards / final symposium half-day close

Conference dates and venue are confirmed from the AACR landing page. Submission / program-release dates above are estimated from the recurring AACR Special Conference cadence (typical: abstract deadline ~3 months out, late-breaker ~1 month out, full program ~1 month out, abstracts indexed ~2 weeks pre-meeting). Will be updated when AACR publishes the formal call.

Conference chairs and stated programmatic priorities

Six co-chairs:

  • Andrew J. Aguirre (Dana-Farber) — KRAS biology, functional genomics, PDX. Programmatic emphasis on KRAS-directed therapy and combination genomic screens.
  • Florencia McAllister (MD Anderson) — microbiome, immune microenvironment, prevention / interception. Programmatic emphasis on tumor-microbiome cross-talk, early detection, and racial/ethnic disparities.
  • Kenneth P. Olive (Columbia / Herbert Irving) — stroma biology, GEMMs, drug-delivery biology. Programmatic emphasis on the immunosuppressive microenvironment and stromal reprogramming.
  • Eileen O'Reilly (MSK) — clinical pancreatic-cancer trials lead. Programmatic emphasis on Phase 2/3 readouts, novel agents in metastatic and adjuvant settings.
  • Diane M. Simeone (UC San Diego) — early detection, cancer stem cells, host institution lead. Programmatic emphasis on biomarker development and high-risk cohort surveillance.
  • Colin D. Weekes (Mass General / Harvard) — translational clinical, KRAS-directed trials. Programmatic emphasis on biomarker-driven Phase 1/2 design.

The co-chair composition signals a balanced KRAS-and-stroma-and-microenvironment-and-clinical program. Compared to AACR Pancreatic 2024 (where the KRAS / immunology axis was front-and-center for the sotorasib / adagrasib reveal cycle), 2026 likely tilts toward (a) Phase 2 maturation data for the pan-RAS / G12D-selective classes and (b) combination-trial design questions, while keeping the basic-biology and early-detection programs intact.

Expected program shape

Based on the 2024 and 2025 AACR Pancreatic recurring pattern:

Friday Sep 25 (opening)

  • Afternoon: registration opens, opening reception.
  • Evening: Opening keynote — typically a field-defining figure (Tuveson, Vonderheide, di Magliano, Hingorani lineage). The 2024 / 2025 lineups have alternated between basic-science and clinical-leadership figures.

Saturday Sep 26 (full day 1)

  • Plenary session 1 — KRAS-directed therapy and combinations. Likely centered on pan-RAS (daraxonrasib) and G12D-selective (zoldonrasib, MRTX1133-class) Phase 1b/2 data, plus mechanism talks on KRAS-pathway resistance.
  • Major symposium — Tumor microenvironment, stroma, immune evasion. CAF heterogeneity update; mechanical tension; immunosuppressive myeloid axis.
  • Mini-symposium — Models for translation. Organoid / PDX / GEMM platforms, co-clinical trial designs.
  • Evening poster session 1 — typically 200–300 posters; mix of basic biology, translational, and clinical-correlate work.

Sunday Sep 27 (full day 2)

  • Plenary session 2 — Immunotherapy and vaccines. mRNA neoantigen vaccine readouts (BNT122 follow-up), TCR-T (NCI / Rosenberg lineage), CD40 agonists (sotigalimab class), claudin 18.2 ADC / CAR-T.
  • Major symposium — Tumor evolution, plasticity, heterogeneity. Classical / basal subtypes, lineage tracing, single-cell + spatial.
  • Major symposium — Metabolism and metabolic vulnerabilities. Autophagy, glutamine, pyrimidine, MAPK-pathway metabolic rewiring.
  • Mini-symposium — Early detection and interception. CA19-9 successors, microbiome-based detection, AI imaging, high-risk cohort surveillance.
  • Evening poster session 2.

Monday Sep 28 (half-day close)

  • Plenary session 3 — Translational case studies / clinical readouts. Adaptive platform updates (PRECISION-Panc, Precision Promise); BRCA/HRD maintenance; novel combination Phase 2.
  • Closing symposium — Health disparities, prevention, survivorship. Programmatic priority per AACR Special Conference cadence.
  • Awards / closing keynote. Typically a forward-looking field-state synthesis from one of the co-chairs.

The above is hypothetical — confirmed session titles will replace this once AACR publishes the program (~August).

Anticipated headline readouts

The five highest-priority watch items (per JPM 2026 sponsor guidance + Q1 2026 earnings + ASCO 2026 preview material):

1. Daraxonrasib (RMC-6236) Phase 2/3 in metastatic PDAC

  • Sponsor: Revolution Medicines.
  • Trials: RASolute-302 (Phase 3, 2L+ KRAS-mut metastatic PDAC, daraxonrasib mono vs SOC chemo); Phase 1b/2 combos with mFOLFIRINOX / gem-nab.
  • What we'd watch: Magnitude of PFS / OS benefit in 2L+ monotherapy (Phase 3 may not read at this meeting — likelier ESMO 2026 / ASCO GI 2027 — but interim safety / pharmacodynamic updates are plausible). Combination Phase 1b/2 ORR / tolerability for 1L. AACR Pancreatic is the natural home for the depth-of-response / biomarker correlative story.
  • Stakes: If PFS magnitude in 2L+ mono is clinically meaningful (HR <0.65), pan-RAS becomes the first practice-changing agent for the broad KRAS-mut PDAC population. Pre-embargo: anticipated per sponsor guidance; final Phase 3 readout not certain at this venue.

2. Zoldonrasib (RMC-9805) Phase 1 PDAC-specific data

  • Sponsor: Revolution Medicines.
  • Trial: First-in-human Phase 1 in KRAS-G12D solid tumors, with PDAC expansion cohort.
  • What we'd watch: First PDAC-specific ORR / DLT / PK-PD in the G12D-selective subset (~40% of PDAC). Comparison to pan-RAS daraxonrasib in the same allele.
  • Stakes: G12D-selective vs pan-RAS is the field's open question on tolerability vs efficacy trade-off in chronic-dosing PDAC management. Pre-embargo: expected per sponsor guidance.

3. BNT122 / autogene cevumeran Phase 2 randomized RFS

  • Sponsor: BioNTech / Genentech / Memorial Sloan Kettering.
  • Trial: IMcode-004 / NCT05968326 (Phase 2 randomized, resected PDAC, mRNA neoantigen vaccine + atezo + mFOLFIRINOX vs mFOLFIRINOX).
  • What we'd watch: Whether the Phase 1 single-center RFS signal (Rojas et al. Nature 2023; mature follow-up ASCO 2024) replicates in a multi-center randomized Phase 2. T-cell persistence / immunogenicity correlatives. AACR Pancreatic is the natural home for the deep-immune-correlate story.
  • Stakes: If RFS benefit holds in randomized Phase 2, mRNA neoantigen vaccines become a credible adjuvant SOC component for resectable PDAC — the first immunotherapy to do so. Pre-embargo: Phase 2 readout timing not confirmed publicly; could land here, ESMO 2026, or 2027.

4. KRAS-G12C(ON) RMC-6291 PDAC subset update

  • Sponsor: Revolution Medicines.
  • What we'd watch: Whether the G12C(ON) class (active-state binder) outperforms the G12C(OFF) class (sotorasib / adagrasib) in PDAC, where G12C(OFF) ORR has been modest.
  • Stakes: Within the ~1.5% G12C-mut PDAC slice, this defines the second-generation standard. Mechanistically informs the broader "active-state vs inactive-state" KRAS-inhibitor design question. Pre-embargo: data cut timing uncertain.

5. Stromal / microenvironment major symposium

  • Lead: Olive / Tuveson / Hingorani lineage + emerging spatial-omics groups.
  • What we'd watch: Whether the iCAF / myCAF / apCAF resolution moves from descriptive to interventional — combination trial designs targeting one CAF compartment without the off-target stromal-collapse problem that sank prior stroma-targeting agents (hedgehog, hyaluronidase, FAK class).
  • Stakes: Stroma has been "next year's story" at AACR Pancreatic for a decade. Whether 2026 is the cycle that produces a credible combination-trial nomination is the open question.

Sponsors / pipeline watchlist

Per JPM 2026 and Q1 2026 earnings:

  • Revolution Medicines — RMC-6236 (daraxonrasib, pan-RAS), RMC-9805 (zoldonrasib, G12D), RMC-6291 (G12C(ON)), RMC-5552 (mTORC1), RMC-4630 (SHP2). The largest PDAC-specific sponsor footprint at this meeting. RASolute-302 Phase 3 timeline is the central watch.
  • BioNTech / Genentech — BNT122 / autogene cevumeran. Phase 2 randomized adjuvant. Single Phase 3 anchor for the mRNA-vaccine class in PDAC.
  • Bristol Myers Squibb (Mirati legacy) — adagrasib (G12C), MRTX1133 next-gen G12D, MRTX0902 SOS1.
  • Astellas / Boundless Bio — RAS portfolio (RAS-Companion / PROTAC / next-gen).
  • Moderna / Merck — mRNA-4157 individualized neoantigen + pembro; PDAC arm timing uncertain.
  • AstraZeneca — claudin 18.2 ADC class extending into PDAC subset.
  • Amgen — sotorasib (G12C), broader KRAS-mut combinations.
  • Black Diamond Therapeutics / Frontier Medicines — KRAS / pathway-allele covalent / scaffolding inhibitors.
  • NCI Surgery Branch (Rosenberg lineage) — KRAS-G12D / G12V TCR-T cellular therapy.
  • Academic / cooperative platforms — PRECISION-Panc (UK), Precision Promise (PanCAN / US), AltCAP.

Live-coverage plan

  • Pre-meeting (Aug–Sep 2026): Once program drops (~Aug), populate the talks/ stub shortlist with confirmed titles + presenters + session assignments + NCT IDs. Embed expected-readout cards in program-notes.md (this file). Cross-link to JPM 2026, ASCO 2026, AACR 2026 Annual.
  • Sep 11–18 abstract release: Pull abstract IDs + DOIs + speaker info from Cancer Research proceedings. Pre-fill the "Abstract" field per talk page.
  • Live meeting (Sep 25–28): Per-day capture. Plenary sessions and major-symposium keynotes are priority slots. Press releases from RevMed / BioNTech / BMS / others typically land 7am PT on the morning of presentation — sync embargo-lift to talk-page publish.
  • Post-meeting (Sep 29 – Oct): Finalize talk pages. Cross-link to:
    • ESMO 2026 (Oct 23–27) — pancreatic Phase 3 readouts that may double-read.
    • SITC 2026 (Nov 4–8) — immunotherapy / vaccine / cellular-therapy follow-ons.
    • ASCO GI 2027 (Jan 2027) — the downstream clinical-readout venue.

Open questions / things to confirm

  1. Exact abstract / late-breaker / program-release deadlines. AACR hasn't published these yet (May 11). Will update when announced.
  2. Named lecture slots. AACR Special Conferences typically include named-award lectures (Dorothy Landon-AACR Translational Cancer Research Prize lineage, AACR Distinguished Lectureship in Pancreatic Cancer if applicable). Lineup is TBD.
  3. Whether BNT122 Phase 2 randomized RFS reads here or at ESMO. Sponsor guidance has not been specific on venue. Either is plausible; AACR Pancreatic gets the deeper immune-correlate story, ESMO gets the broader oncology audience.
  4. Adaptive-platform updates (PRECISION-Panc, Precision Promise). Both typically have major-symposium slots; sub-trial readouts within the platforms are the variable.
  5. Whether health-disparities track is a programmatic priority block or distributed. AACR Special Conferences have shifted toward programmatic blocks in recent years; co-chair McAllister's portfolio suggests yes.

Sources