Innate Immune Checkpoints & Activation Pre-Conference Focus Day

Tuesday 9th May 2023

9:00 am Registration & Welcome Coffee

9:25 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Enhancing Checkpoint Inhibition in Combination Approaches With STING Agonists

9:30 am Immune Activation by A Dual Acting STING Agonist: Potential for Monotherapy Activity Enhanced by Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Combination

Synopsis

  • Discover how intratumoral injection of a potentiated STING agonist activates the innate and adaptive immune system
  • Explore how adaptive immunity is enhanced by anti-PD-L1 antibodies
  • Learn about the abscopal anti-tumor effects that can be observed in potentiated STING activity

10:00 am Comprehensive & Broad Reprogramming of the Immunosuppressive TME by ACTM-838, a Systemically Delivered, Tumor-Specific Live Microbial Therapy Carrying Engineered STING and Il-15 Payloads

Synopsis

  • Learn how comprehensive reprogramming of the TME is induced by ACTM-838 uptake by tumor resident phagocytic APCs
  • Discuss how long term sustained anti-tumor immunity and immunological memory is achieved in multiple tumor models via ACTM-838 treatment as a single agent and in combination with anti-PD1
  • Characterization of the safety and tolerability profile of ACTM-838

10:30 am Developing Oral Tissue-Targeted TLR7 Agonists for Cancer Immunotherapy

Synopsis

  • The first-in-human study of APR003, a liver/GI-targeted TLR7 agonist, indicates tissue-targeted approaches may have an increased safety window compared to other (non- targeted) agents of the same class
  • Rationale for future combination studies with checkpoint inhibitors
  • Other applications of tissue-targeted approaches outside of oncology

11:00 am Combination of Anti-VEGFR2 & STING Agonist Results in Complete Triple Negative Breast Cancer Curation

Synopsis

  • Engineering non-viral nanoparticle-based delivery system for STING agonist delivery in combination with anti-VEGFR2 for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)
  • Elucidating the role of administration route (i.v., i.t., local and sustained) of anti-VEGFR2 and STING agonist on TNBC therapeutic efficacy in orthotopic, syngeneic TNBC mouse models
  • Characterizing the molecular and cellular responses to the therapy using immunophenotyping

11:30 am Lunch Break

Understanding How Checkpoint Inhibitor Combinations Translate Into Treatments for Specific Indications

12:30 pm TM4SF1: An Attractive Vascular & Tumor Cell Target for Solid Tumor Therapy

Synopsis

  • TM4SF1 is a novel and attractive target for solid tumor therapy
  • TM4SF1 offers a unique payload delivery mechanism for antibody-drug-conjugates (ADCs)
  • TM4SF1 ADCs may be a favorable method for delivering STING agonists in solid tumors

1:00 pm Independent Action Models for Strategic Planning & Investment Decision Making in Early-Stage Oncology Drug Development

Synopsis

  • Immuno oncology drug combination development has been overly reliant on pre-clinical, non-quantitative ideas of biological “synergy”
  • Quantitative synergy has not been seen in any of more than 1400 trials to date that combine PD-1 inhibitors with other drugs
  • The most successful PD-1 combinations use orthogonal agents in combination to avoid cross-resistance and decrease the toxicity of overlapping mechanisms

1:30 pm End of Pre-Conference Focus Day