Interactive Breakout Discussions
Interactive Breakout Discussions are informal, moderated discussions, allowing participants to exchange ideas and experiences and develop future collaborations around a focused topic. Each discussion will be led by a facilitator who keeps the discussion on track and the group engaged. To get the most out of this format, please come prepared to share examples from your work, be a part of a collective, problem-solving session, and participate in active idea sharing.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 10:10 AM – 10:55 AM
Breakout Discussions with Networking Coffee Break
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 1: Challenges and Advancements with Bi and Multi-Specific Antibodies
Moderator: Mark A Tornetta, Vice President, Biologics Discovery, Tavotek Biotherapeutics
- Challenges and solutions in bi- and multi-specific antibody design
- CMC considerations for bi- and multi-specifics
- Advancements in solid tumors and future directions
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 2: Precision Tailoring CAR T Therapy
Moderator: Julia A Coronella, PhD, VP Immuno Oncology, Immuno Oncology, Poseida Therapeutics Inc
- Considerations for TSCM-based CAR T products
- Autologous vs allogenic therapy
- Viral vs non-viral methodologies
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 3: Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines: Key Areas of Research and Innovation Driving Future Success
Moderator: Marion Curtis, PhD, Assistant Professor, Immunology, Mayo Clinic
- What are the most promising strategies to identify and target tumor-specific antigens using cancer vaccines?
- What are the most effective vaccine delivery platforms for cancer therapy?-
- What role do combination therapies play in overcoming immunosuppression and maximizing the effectiveness of cancer vaccines?
- How can cancer vaccines be successfully integrated into standard of care cancer treatment?
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Breakfast Breakout Discussions
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 4: Leveraging Biomarker Technologies for Understanding PD-1 Innate and Adaptive Resistance to Inform New Targets and New Combinations
Moderator: Theresa M. LaVallee, PhD, Chief Development Officer, Coherus Biosciences
- Approaches to characterize PD-1 resistance
- Applications of PD-1 resistance characterization for target discovery
- Uncovering novel and next-gen combination treatment approaches through PD-1 findings
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 5: Next-Gen
Tech for Improved IO Outcomes Through TAMs
Moderator: Nir Chetrit, PhD, Associate Researcher, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Modulating the tumor-supporting functions of TAMs: current approaches & challenges
- Novel strategies and technologies to overcome limitations of TAM reprogramming
- Scalable TME models and platforms for high-throughput discovery
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 6: Improving Safety to Expand Patient Eligibility for TIL Cell Therapy
Moderator: Madan H. Jagasia, MS, Chief Executive Officer, R&D, Obsidian Therapeutics
- Currently available non-engineered TIL cell therapy requires use of high-dose IL2, which has well-described high-grade toxicity that limits patient eligibility
- Novel approaches are needed to improve the safety of TIL cell therapy to enable a broader patient population to benefit
- Discussion will focus around existing approaches to improve safety as well as potential avenues to explore in future trials
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 7: NK Cells: Challenges, Breakthroughs, and Future Directions
Moderator: Nicholas A Zorko, PhD, Assistant Professor, Hematology & Oncology & Transplant, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities
- Challenges with NK cell therapy development
- Pros and cons of NK approaches compared to other cell-based therapeutics
- Applications of NK therapies to solid tumor indications
- Future directions of NK therapies
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 8: Immunosuppression in the Tumor Microenvironment
Moderator: Thierry Guillaudeux, PhD, CSO, Kineta, Inc.
- What are the major drivers of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment?
- What are the strategies to overcome immunosuppression?
- What are the promising new targets?
- Which combination strategies should be considered to restore an effective antitumor immune response?
IN-PERSON BREAKOUT TABLE 9: Tumor Microenvironment (TME) Models for Mechanistic Studies
Moderator: Jason Yu, PhD, Senior Postdoctoral Associate, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- What aspects of the TME require ex vivo modeling?
- What are the challenges in modeling tumor immune responses?
- What are the unique advantages of ex vivo TME models?
- How do we advance ex vivo TME models for drug discovery and mechanistic studies?