Annual Meeting Abstract Submissions: The Why and How

Every winter, researchers submit their abstracts for a chance to showcase their work to 5,000+ leaders and colleagues at the ASGCT Annual Meeting—the largest gathering of gene & cell therapy professionals!

You may be wondering: Why should I submit an abstract? And what do reviewers look for in my work? 

We asked Paloma Giangrande, PhD, for her thoughts. Dr. Giangrande is a member-volunteer abstract reviewer, internationally recognized field expert, and current ASGCT treasurer. 

Why should researchers submit their abstracts? How can it help their careers?

Dr. Paloma Giangrande:

• Presenting at the ASGCT Annual Meeting will give (young) investigators visibility and help with networking.
• Investigators will get valuable feedback on their work from various Society members.
• This can help with getting papers published in high impact journals, help with grant submissions/funding, and help with tenure/promotions.
• Interactions during the presentations can foster potential collaborations with society members and peers.

What do you typically look for as a reviewer?

Dr. Paloma Giangrande:

• Messaging needs to be to the point. Ask yourself: What is your punch line? What is your take-home message?
• Avoid too many background details in the abstract. Reserve background information for discussion during a poster presentation or intro during an oral presentation.
• Articulate upfront the unmet need/problem and then follow immediately with the solution.
• Highlight the impact and novelty of your work.  The how (methods) can be simplified into one or two sentences max.
• When necessary, please use English editing support.

This year, the deadline for submissions is Feb. 3, 2023—no extensions. The only exception is for late-breaking abstracts: data that is high impact, groundbreaking, innovative, and newsworthy.

Paloma Giangrande, PhD, is vice president of platform and discovery sciences biology at Wave Life Sciences. Previously, she was an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa. Dr. Giangrande is an internationally recognized expert in drug design and delivery. She is also the ASGCT Treasurer for 2022–2023.

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