Hormonal Influences on Immunity and Cancer Across the Lifespan (F2)
October 5-8, 2026  | Beaver Run Conference Center, Breckenridge, CO, United States
Suzanne D. Conzen, Amy Moran and James DeGregori
Scholarship Deadline: Jul. 8, 2026 | Abstract Deadline: Sep. 15, 2026 | Early Registration Deadline: Aug. 6, 2026
* Session Chair † Invited but not yet accepted | Program current as of July 16, 2026 2 PM | For the most up-to-date details, visit https://www.keystonesymposia.org
Monday, October 5, 2026
2:00–7:00 PM Registration Colorado Ballroom Foyer
4:00–4:10 PM Welcome Remarks Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
4:10–5:00 PM Keynote Address Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Alberto Mantovani, Fondazione Humanitas per la Ricerca
Intersection of Inflammation and Cancer
 
5:00–7:00 PM Hormones, Age, Immunity and Cancer Risk Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Quinn Ostrom, Duke University
Sex Differences in Glioma
 
  Duygu Ucar, The Jackson Laboratory
Sexual-Dimorphism in Human Immune System Aging
 
  Christy Hagan, University of Kansas Medical Center
Hormone–Immune Crosstalk: How Progesterone Enables Immune Escape in Breast Cancer
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:30 PM Welcome Reception Colorado Ballroom Foyer
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Summit Gallery
8:00–11:00 AM Sex Differences in Cancer Immunity and Outcomes Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Joseph Unger, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Cancer Treatment Outcomes and Sex Differences: Evaluations Using Clinical Trial Databases
 
  Amy Moran, Oregon Health & Science University
Hormone Receptor Action as Immune Modifiers Affecting IO Outcome
 
  Fabio Conforti, European Institute of Oncology
Sex Differences in the Efficacy of Immunotherapy for Various Cancers, with Immunotherapy being Less Effective in Women than in Men
 
  Xue-Yan He, Washington University in St. Louis
The Neural Bridge: Stress-remodeled Enteric Nervous System (ENS) in Colorectal Cancer
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:30–9:50 AM Coffee Break Colorado Ballroom Foyer
11:00–12:00 PM Panel Discussion 1: Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  * Kendall W. Nettles, The Scripps Research Institute
 
12:00–1:00 PM Poster Setup Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3
12:00–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 1: Neuroendocrine Immune Regulation of Cancer - the Host, the Cancer Cell and the Microenvironment Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Colorado Ballroom Foyer
5:00–7:00 PM Physiological and Social Stressors: Puberty, Pregnancy, & Menopause Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Pepper J Schedin, Oregon Health & Science University
Discovery of Mechanisms by Which Hormonal Changes of the Lifespan Affect Cancer Risk
 
  Suzanne D. Conzen, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Pubertal Social Stressors and the Role of Glucocorticoid Receptor in Mammary Gland Development and Cancer Risk
 
  Elizabeth A. Bonney, University of Vermont
Pregnancy’s Influence on T Cell Regulation
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner Summit Gallery
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 1 Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Summit Gallery
8:00–11:00 AM The Aging Host and the Role of the Microenvironment Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Emi K. Nishimura, University of Tokyo
Melanocyte Stem Cells (McSCs) and their Niche Coordinately Determine Individual Stem Cell Fate through Depending on Exposome
 
  Marie-Ève Tremblay, University of Victoria
Roles of Microglia in Healthy Cognitive Aging
 
  Curtis J. Henry, University of Colorado Cancer Center
Obesity and Anti-Tumor Immunity: Unraveling the Interconnectivity to Improve Immunotherapy Outcomes
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break Colorado Ballroom Foyer
11:00–12:00 AM Panel Discussion 2: Aging of the Tumor Microenvironment - Who are the Main Players? Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
11:00–1:00 PM Poster Setup Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3
11:00–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3
3:00–4:30 PM Career Roundtable: Successful Interdisciplinary Science and Learning to Speak another Language Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Colorado Ballroom Foyer
5:00–7:00 PM Metabolic and Hormonal Changes during Aging as a Driver of Tumorigenesis Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Ana P. Gomes, Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Understanding Cancer through the Lens of Old Age
 
  Nima Sharifi, University of Miami
Steroid Metabolism in Physiology and Cancer
 
  Michael Hwang, Genentech
Nuclear Hormone Receptor Signaling and Anti-Tumor Immunity
 
  Ana Carrizosa Anderson †, Harvard Medical School
A Cell-intrinsic Glucocorticoid Biosynthesis and Sensing Circuit Maintains a Homeostatic Th17 Cell State
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner Summit Gallery
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 2 Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3
Thursday, October 8, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Summit Gallery
8:00–11:00 AM Immune Senescence and Healthspan Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  James DeGregori, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
Age and Sex Alter the Direction of Clonal Selection in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Pools
 
  Yash Chhabra, Fox Chase Cancer Center
Beyond the Surface: Decoding Age and Sex Disparity in Melanoma Progression and Therapy Response
 
  Stella Victorelli, Mayo Clinic
Mitochondrial Apoptotic Stress during Cellular Senescence: Fueling Inflammation during Aging and Disease
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break Colorado Ballroom Foyer
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break Colorado Ballroom Foyer
11:00–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 2: Epigenetics and Cancer Over the Lifespan - Tumor and the Microenvironment Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Colorado Ballroom Foyer
5:00–7:00 PM The Aging Immune System and the Onset of Disease Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
  Kendall W. Nettles, The Scripps Research Institute
Using Machine Learning to Model Nuclear Receptor Biology in T Cells and Tissues
 
  Ben A Youngblood, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Translating Epigenetic Mechanisms of T Cell Exhaustion into Durable Tumor Immunity
 
  Alison Ringel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Age-Related effects on Anti-Tumor Immunity
 
  Elise Alspach, Saint Louis University
Sex Differences in Immunoediting
 
7:00–7:15 PM Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5
7:15–8:15 PM Social Hour with Dinner Summit Gallery
Friday, October 9, 2026
8:00–11:59 PM Departure