COI Summer Scientific Retreat 2025 Celebrates a Milestone

The Centre for Oncology and Immunology (COI) Summer Scientific Retreat of 2025 came to a successful conclusion! It was a landmark event that celebrated the fruitful completion of our first five-year milestone. The retreat provided an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past five years and to discuss plans for the next phase of our collaborative research endeavour.

We were thrilled to welcome our overseas collaborators from the University Health Network (UHN) in Canada and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany. Joining us were Prof. Tracy McGaha, Dr. Steven Chan, and Prof. Naoto Hirano from UHN, as well as Prof. Jürgen Ruland from TUM—each accompanied by their associates. Throughout the retreat, COI researchers and visiting collaborators engaged in fruitful discussions, exchanging insights on the latest developments in their respective projects.

In addition, as part of the retreat, the COI 29^th Journal Club was co-chaired by Prof. Tracy McGaha and Dr. Steven Chan. Dr. Chan and Mr. Robbie Jin, a PhD student from Prof. McGaha’s team, presented compelling insights from recent publications. Dr. Chan presented research from Cell showing that recurrent mis-splicing in leukaemia creates shared neoantigens that can be targeted by engineered T cells for selective cancer cell elimination. Mr. Jin discussed findings from Immunity in which tumour-associated macrophages drive T cells toward terminal exhaustion, and disrupting this interaction helps preserve stem-like T cells and enhances the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Their presentations expanded our collective understanding of emerging trends in cancer research.

COI Co-Director Prof. Tak Mak offered his reflection on the journey so far: “We’ve done very well in the first five years—bringing our local and overseas teams together to share ideas and enhance our collaborative relationship. This provides a strong foundation for the second cycle to focus on advancing clinical translation and commercialization alongside strategic industry partners” 

COI extends its deepest gratitude to all staff and collaborators who have contributed to this remarkable journey. As we look ahead, we remain committed to pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery and standing at the frontier of the global fight against cancer.

Stay updated on COI’s latest news and research breakthroughs by following us on our social media platforms and visiting our website. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer.