Inaugural AACR D3 Conference Convenes Leaders Across Oncology Drug Development to Catalyze Innovation
Key Insights
The inaugural AACR Drug Discovery and Development (AACR D3) conference was held July 21-24, 2026, in Boston, bringing together experts from academia, pharma, biotech, regulatory agencies, and venture capital.
Conference cochairs Patricia M. LoRusso, Keith T. Flaherty, Lillian L. Siu, and Timothy A. Yap designed the meeting to challenge conventional paradigms and accelerate cancer treatment innovation.
Panelists including Alexis Borisy, Chris Boshoff, and David Schenkein discussed investment trends, AI integration, competition from China, and the importance of precompetitive collaboration.
The inaugural AACR Drug Discovery and Development (AACR D3) conference convened July 21-24, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts, marking a new chapter in oncology's collaborative landscape. Organized by four prominent figures in cancer research, the meeting brought together a diverse community spanning biotechnology, pharmaceutical companies, academia, regulatory agencies, technology firms, venture capital, and patient advocacy organizations with the explicit goal of redefining how cancer therapies are discovered, developed, and delivered.
"This groundbreaking global conference aims to redefine the future of oncology drug development by challenging conventional paradigms in catalyzing innovation across disciplines," said conference cochair and 2024-2025 AACR President Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), FAACR, as she welcomed attendees to the opening session.
LoRusso was joined by fellow cochairs: 2026-2027 AACR President Keith T. Flaherty, MD, FAACR; 2025-2026 AACR President Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR; and AACR Board of Directors member and editor-in-chief of Clinical Cancer Research Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD.
"The AACR D3 conference is more than a meeting—it is a catalyst for transforming bold scientific ideas into innovative new treatments for patients with cancer," said Yap. "By bringing together the world's leading cancer researchers, clinicians, innovators, and industry leaders, D3 fosters collaborations that accelerate discovery and inspire the next generation of breakthroughs."
Siu emphasized the value of cross-sector engagement: "Having the entire spectrum from end to end is the best way to make the whole process of drug discovery and development most efficient. If we can learn from each other and share data, we can get to the final goal much faster, which is to bring effective treatments and cures to our patients."
Opening Session Features Cross-Sector Leadership
The opening session, structured as a panel discussion, featured three invited speakers: Alexis Borisy, MS, cofounder and chairman of Curie.Bio (search); Chris Boshoff, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer and president of research and development at Pfizer; and David Schenkein, MD, general partner at Google Ventures (search). Flaherty noted that these individuals were selected because they have "through generations of new therapies and diagnostic technologies—helped unlock therapeutic advances."
Borisy described his venture capital work as "always been driven by hope" and the desire to help people live longer, healthier lives. Boshoff reflected on the global impact of the pharmaceutical industry, citing vaccine development as an example where one intervention can affect hundreds of millions of lives. Schenkein articulated his motivation: "I get up every morning saying, 'How can I help a company bring a new medicine forward to help all the patients out there—not just in oncology but across all therapeutic areas—to make an impact?'"
Investment Trends and Innovation Concerns
During the panel discussion, participants addressed the biotech sector's recovery from a difficult period marked by rising interest rates and reduced investments. While more funding is now available, panelists noted that investment decisions have grown more selective. A key concern raised was the increasing resistance to funding novel, high-risk ideas, with many venture capitalists instead favoring companies that already hold an asset or are developing next-generation "me-better" versions of existing therapeutics. Panelists cautioned that this trend, if sustained, would ultimately stifle innovation.
China, AI, and Precompetitive Collaboration
In response to China's growing contributions to drug development, panelists emphasized the importance of collaboration with Chinese researchers and learning from their successes rather than viewing them as a competitive threat. They also highlighted the need to incorporate artificial intelligence into research laboratories to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness, pointing to the successes of AI-native labs in China.
The panelists encouraged companies to form consortiums for "precompetitive validation" of candidate targets, which would allow researchers and investors to focus resources on validated targets rather than each company independently conducting validation studies.
Additional Conference Highlights
The conference program also featured a fireside chat with Richard Pazdur, MD, former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Oncology Center of Excellence, on Wednesday, July 22. Keynote lectures were delivered by Nobel Laureate William G. Kaelin, MD, FAACR, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and William R. Sellers, MD, FAACR, of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (search), among other leaders in oncology drug discovery and development.
Despite the challenges discussed, panelists agreed that the state of drug development and discovery remains strong, and that embracing new technologies, supporting innovation, improving efficiency, and promoting collaboration are essential to enduring success. Lecture sessions from the meeting are available for on-demand viewing through October 2, 2026.