DAY 1
Wednesday June 19, 2024
7:20 am Coffee & Check-In
8:20 am Chairs Opening Remarks
8:30 am Roundtable Discussion – Why Have Drugs Failed Within This Space & How Can We Use These Failures to Propel Current Programs Forward?
Synopsis
- Discussing the fine balance between safety and efficacy with innate immune targeted therapies
- Actionable insights from reflecting on clinical failures – unpicking lessons learnt
- Uncovering future directions for those who have experienced clinical setbacks in the space
Leveraging Lessons From The Clinic to Produce Actionable Insights For Future STING/ TLR Agonist Success
9:00 am Therapeutic Modulation of the STING Pathway
9:30 am Morning Break & Speed Networking
Synopsis
The ideal opportunity to get face-to-face with many of the brightest minds working in the STING / TLR field and introduce yourself to the attendees that you would like to have more in-depth conversations with.
10:30 am Next Generation STING Based Therapeutics in Oncology: Current Progress & Opportunities
Synopsis
- Evaluate the mechanism of STING based immunotherapies in tumor microenvironments
- Review the current landscape and challenges in developing STING based immunotherapies
- Explore the next generation STING based cancer immunotherapies with emerging innovations
Utilizing Advances in Knowledge to Facilitate Effective Patient Stratification & Clinical Translation
11:00 am Understanding Natural Selection of Common Human STING Alleles in Modern Humans To Advance Precision Medicine
Synopsis
- Understand STING functions in humans beyond type I IFNs
- Review the in vivo mechanism of STING-mediated CD4 T cell death
- Discuss precision medicine to improve the safety and effectiveness of STING-targeting cancer therapy
11:30 am Discovery Story & Therapeutic Application of the STING Agonist E7766 As A Single Agent And in ADC Format
Synopsis
- Discovery of the STING agonist E7766
- Chemical & biological differences between E7766 and other STING agonists
- Therapeutic applications of E7766 as a single agent and as an ADC payload
12:00 pm SONA Gold Nanorod-Induced Hyperthermia Enhances Immunogenic Response and Synergizes with IL-2 Immunotherapy to Reduce Tumor Size in Preclinical Models
Synopsis
- SONA Gold Nanorods & Laser Hyperthermia: SONA’s gold nanorods induce localized tumor cell death through laser-induced hyperthermia, priming the immune system by exposing tumor antigens. This dual mechanism offers a potent strategy for cancer therapy
- Enhanced Immune Response: SONA’s gold nanorod-induced hyperthermia enhances immune response against tumors, increasing CD8+ T cell infiltration and promoting effector and memory subtype differentiation. Treatment also upregulates PD-1 expression on CD8+ T cells, suggesting potential for combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors
- Tumor Volume Reduction with Combined Therapy: Gold nanorod-induced hyperthermia, especially combined with IL-2 immunotherapy, significantly reduces tumor volume. Combination therapy led to decreased tumor volume at the injection site and abscopal effects, reducing distant, untreated tumors
12:15 pm Lunch
Uncovering the Current Clinical Landscape & Future Directions of Innate Immune Targeted Therapies
1:15 pm Profiling STING and TLR-Targeted Therapies in Preclinical Models
Synopsis
- Focus on BRGSF-HIS hCD34+ reconstituted mice featuring human lymphoid and myeloid compartments and STING humanized mouse models
- Characterization of the immune response
- Showcase of assessment of STING and TLR targeting agents in these models
1:45 pm TME Modelling & Dose Optimization for Solid Tumor Immunotherapy Development – the TriSalus Translational & Clinical Experience
Synopsis
- Addressing organ-specific immunosuppressive barriers through strategic MoA selection
- Reflect on the integration of appropriate delivery strategies to enable therapeutic performance
- Analyze the selection of immunologic read-outs for early phase clinical trials to enable detection of biologic activity
2:15 pm TAC-001: A Toll-like 9 Receptor Agonist Antibody Conjugate for Solid Tumors
Synopsis
- Understanding the scientific rationale behind TAC-001, a potent toll-like receptor 9 agonist (T-CpG) conjugated to an antibody against CD22
- Outlining the ongoing TAC-001 phase ½ clinical trial for advanced or metastatic solid tumors
- Exploring the potential of Tallac’s novel Toll-like Receptor Agonist Antibody Conjugate (TRAAC) platform for systemically administered immune agonist conjugates
2:45 pm Afternoon Break & Poster Presentation Setting
Synopsis
This is an informal session to help you connect with your peers in a relaxed atmosphere and forge new and beneficial relationships. With an audience of STING/TLR experts eager to hear the latest innovations and positive movement, you will have the opportunity to display a poster presenting your own work. Additionally, you will have the chance to review others’ posters displaying cutting-edge work from drug discovery right through to exciting clinical trial updates.
Exploring Novel Innate Immune System Targets Beyond STING & TLR
3:30 pm Inhibition of METTL3 Activates Innate Immunity Pathways & Reshapes the Tumor Microenvironment
Synopsis
- STC-15 is a potent and selective inhibitor of the RNA methyltransferase METTL3, currently evaluated in a First-in-Human Phase I clinical trial
- STC-15 leads to formation of dsRNA and induces cancer intrinsic type-I interferon response
- Ex-vivo and in-vivo efficacy studies in preclinical models demonstrate an immune based MoA leading to a long term tumour regression and generating durable immune memory
4:00 pm PTPN2/N1 Small Molecule Inhibitor, ABBV-CLS-484, Promotes Activation Of Innate Immune Cell Subsets & Enhances The Inflammatory Phenotype Of Immune Cells In Tumor-Bearing Mice
Synopsis
- PTPN2/N1 inhibition enhances macrophage and dendritic cell function in response to inflammatory signals
- Natural killer cell activation and cytotoxic function upon stimulation is enhanced by PTPN2/N1 inhibition
- Innate immune activation following PTPN2/N1 inhibition correlates with anti-tumor efficacy in mice
4:30 pm Chairs Closing Remarks
4:35 pm
Workshop A: Optimizing Biomarker Use in Innate Immune System Targeted Therapies to Streamline Patient Stratification & Response Assessment Within Clinical Trials
Synopsis
This workshop aims to delve into the critically useful role of biomarkers in therapies targeting the innate immune system, specifically focusing on STING & TLR receptors. Attendees will gain insights into utilizing biomarkers for patient stratification, assessing treatment response, and addressing the evolving landscape of biomarker integration into clinical practice for optimizing the effectiveness of these therapies.
Biomarker-Driven Patient Stratification Strategies
- Utilizing biomarkers to categorize patient subgroups for precision treatment
- Integrating multi-omics data and computational approaches in stratification
- Reviewing case studies highlighting successful patient stratification in innate immune system therapies
Evaluating Treatment Response via Biomarker Analysis
- Biomarker-driven assessment of treatment efficacy and response in clinical settings
- Discussing advancements in imaging, liquid biopsy, and molecular techniques for response monitoring
- Overcoming challenges and limitations in interpreting biomarker-driven treatment response
Future Perspectives: Emerging Biomarkers & Integration into Clinical Practice
- Exploring novel biomarkers and technologies for refining patient stratification and response evaluation
- Gaining insight into regulatory considerations and standardization for biomarker incorporation in clinical trials
- The road ahead: Integrating biomarkers into routine clinical practice for innate immune system therapies
More speakers to be announced!