The outlook for therapeutic antibodies is very promising. This meeting will highlight current trends in development including identifying and validating novel targets, improving drug-like properties, employing immunotherapy approaches and advancing novel constructs. This program has consistently recruited top thought leaders in the field to review the status of myriad innovative antibodies and key ideas for advancing them towards the clinic.

MONDAY, MAY 4

7:00 am Registration and Morning Coffee

Antibodies for Immunotherapy
What are the Challenges and How Do We Overcome Them?

10:45 Chairperson’s Remarks

Soldano Ferrone, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Surgical Oncology, Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

11:20 Human Anti-CCR4 mAb Reverses Immunosuppression and Restores Anti-Tumor Immunity

Wayne A. Marasco, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in tumor progression; they are recruited to the tumor site where they can suppress anti-tumor immunity. CCR4 is constitutively overexpressed on Tregs and represents a potential important target for cancer immunotherapy. We have reported that humanized anti-CCR4 mAb2-3 can reverse Treg-mediated immunosuppression and restore effector T cell proliferative responses. We will present an update on these findings and on mAb2-3’s unique mode of action.

11:50 Using Multiple Antibody Discovery Platforms to Overcome the Challenges in Developing Antibody Drug against Immune Check Point Targets

Jing Li, MD, Ph.D., MBA, Vice President, WuXi Biologics, WuXi AppTec

The recent approvals of Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab, the two anti PD-1 antibodies, have attracted more attention to the immune check point targets. However the general protein sequence homology of those targets between human and mouse species is low, posing significant challenge on preclinical in vivo testing of such antibody drug candidates. We will show how to utilize different antibody discovery platforms to overcome the challenge and to expedite the drug discovery process.

12:20 pm Enjoy Lunch on Your Own

1:20 Session Break

1:50 Chairperson’s Remarks

Soldano Ferrone, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Surgical Oncology, Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

1:55 Intratumoral Gene-Therapy with IL-12 to Enhance Responses to Immune “Checkpoint” Therapy

Robert H. Pierce, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer, OncoSec Medical, Inc.

The major mode of non-response to T cell checkpoint therapies like anti-PD1/PDL1 is the lack of CD8+PD-1+ TILs. IL-12 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine, critical to linking innate and adaptive immune responses, which is required for effective CTL development. The ability of intratumoral electroporation of IL-12 to augment immunogenicity, drive a TIL response and enhance responses to immune “checkpoint” therapy will be discussed.

2:25 Combination Therapy

F. Stephen Hodi, M.D., Associate Professor, Medicine, Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

This presentation will include combinations of immune checkpoint blockade with cytokines and anti-angiogenesis treatment. 

2:55 Biomarker Development in Immune Therapies for Oncology

Jennifer H. Yearley, D.V.M., Ph.D., DACVP, Senior Principal Scientist, Profiling and Expression, Merck Research Laboratories

The success of recent, immune-based cancer therapies in generating durable responses in patients across multiple indications has been groundbreaking. Nevertheless, not all patients respond to such therapies. Development of predictive biomarkers to assess the likelihood of patient response prior to initiation of therapy is of increasing importance to patients, payers, and regulators. Issues and examples of work in this domain will be provided.

3:25 Program on PDL1

Helen Sabzevari, Ph.D., Global Head, Oncology & Immunotherapy, EMD Serono Research Institute

3:55 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

5:05 Identification and Translation of Optimal Immunotherapy Combinations

Michael A. Curran, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Immunology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Although many co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory T cell receptors have now been described, we have shown that modulation of specific combinations of these pathways based on potentially synergistic underlying biology can promote immunologic rejection of established tumors in mice and in man.

5:35 Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

6:50 End of Day

TUESDAY, MAY 5

8:00 am Morning Coffee

ADCs for Novel Targets

8:25 Chairperson’s Remarks

Horacio G. Nastri, Ph.D., Director, Biotherapeutics, Center for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI), Pfizer, Inc.

8:30 A Novel Calicheamicin-Based ADC for Solid Tumors

Marc I. Damelin, Ph.D., Senior Principal Scientist, Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer, Inc.

I will describe a novel ADC based on the DNA-damaging agent calicheamicin, from the identification of the target, which is enriched on cancer stem cells, to the discovery and development of the ADC.

9:00 ADCs Targeting Embryonic and Pluripotent Stem Cell Markers as Novel Therapeutics for Metastatic Cancers

Michael Schopperle, Ph.D., CEO, CureMeta

Strong research data is emerging suggesting that metastatic and aggressive cancers are cause by cancer stem cells with embryonic and pluripotent characteristics. We have developed several antibodies which are specific for pluripotent stem cells markers and have made several ADCs as novel therapeutics for metastatic cancers. Our studies show that our new ADCs are specific for and highly efficient at killing pluripotent cancer stem cells.

9:30 Novel Anti-B Cell Maturation Antigen Antibody-Drug Conjugate Selectively Induces Killing of Multiple Myeloma

Yu-Tzu Tai, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Dana Farber Cancer Institute

BCMA, a specific plasma cell antigen, may represent a more selective target for monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy for multiple myeloma treatment. Generation of therapeutic BCMA monoclonal antibody-drug conjugates could be of significance in translational medicine using next-generation therapeutic antibodies linking with novel anti-tubulin drugs.

10:00 Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

ANTIBODIES TO WATCH: PHASE III CLINICAL TRIALS

10:45 Chairperson’s Remarks

Janice M. Reichert, Ph.D., Reichert Biotechnology Consulting LLC

10:50 Antibodies to Watch in 2015: Focus on Oncology

Janice M. Reichert, Ph.D., Managing Director, Reichert Biotechnology Consulting LLC; Editor-in-Chief, mAbs; President, The Antibody Society

Phase 3 clinical study results for a record number of antibody therapeutics are due in 2015. This presentation will provide an overview of the late-stage commercial pipeline, with a focus on oncology treatments. The prospects for antibodies for cancer that are poised to transition to Phase 3 in 2015 will also be discussed.

11:20 MM-302, Novel Antibody-Drug Conjugated Liposomal Doxorubicin that Specifically Targets Cancer Cells Overexpressing the HER2 Receptor

Thomas Wickham, Ph.D., MM-302 Project Leader and Vice President, Research & Development,
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Despite improvements in treatment with newly approved HER2-targeted therapies such as pertuzumab and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains a serious and life-threatening disease. The ongoing registration-directed trial of MM-302 in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer will be discussed as well as future development pathways utilizing a liposomal PET imaging biomarker for predicting drug delivery and patient benefit.

11:50 Clinical Validation of a Predictive Biomarker for Clinical Benefit from Patritumab in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Robert A. Beckman, M.D., Professor, Oncology and Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Lombardi Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center

12:20 pm Enjoy Lunch on Your Own

1:20 Ice Cream Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

Emerging Targets and Technologies

2:00 Chairperson’s Remarks

Mitchell Ho, Ph.D., Chief, Antibody Therapy Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH

2:35 Cancer Systems Immunology: Harvesting the Conditions of Remission from Single Cells
Jacob Glanville, Chief Science Officer, Distributed Bio Inc   

Advancements in immune checkpoint inhibitors have greatly facilitated the analysis of immune-mediated tumor remission. Here we review new algorithms in deep T-cell and B-cell repertoire analysis, describe advances in single cell TCR & phenotype analysis from tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in human tumors, and present an effort to harvest vast immune libraries from the blood of cancer survivors.

3:05 Emerging Immune Checkpoint Targets for Cancer Immunotherapy

Xingxing Zang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

CTLA-4 and the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway are current focuses for cancer immunotherapy. This presentation will discuss other new immune checkpoints for future human cancer immunotherapy.

3:35 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

4:25 Targeted Depletion of Metastasis-Initiating Tumor Cells with ARGX-111, a Novel, MET-Specific Human Antibody

Anna Hultberg, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Research, Argen-X Nv

To extend the clinical impact of modulating the function of MET in cancer, we have developed a potent antagonistic anti-MET antibody, ARGX-111, that inhibits both HGF dependent and independent signaling and has enhanced Antibody-Dependent Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity (ADCC) to selectively deplete MET-expressing tumor cells. In studies of its effects on MET positive patient biopsies, we have shown targeted depletion of MET-expressing stem cells – the known precursors of metastasis arising from primary solid tumors.

4:55 Shark Heavy Chain-Only Antibodies: Basic Science and Applications

Martin Flajnik, Ph.D., Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland at Baltimore

Antigen-specific IgNARs have been used to study affinty maturation of the elasmobranch immune response, and are of potential use for diagnosic and therapeutic applications. The IgNAR V is ancient (over 400 million years old) and is used not only as an immunoglobulin but as a T cell receptor as well. This talk will review the data which suggests that as early in evolution as heterodimeric Igs and TCRs and found that the monomeric single-V antigen receptors existed as well.

5:25 End of Conference

5:30 Registration for Dinner Short Courses

2024 PROGRAMS

View By:

• Display of Biologics
• Engineering Antibodies
• Machine Learning for Protein Engineering

• Antibodies for Cancer Therapy
• Emerging Targets for Oncology
• Antibody Drug Conjugates

• TS: Intro to Bispecifics
• Advancing Bispecific Antibodies
• Engineering Bispecific Antibodies

• Advances in Immunotherapy
• Cell-Based Immunotherapy
• In vivo Cell and Gene Engineering

• Difficult-to-Express Proteins
• Optimizing Protein Expression
• Protein Production Workflows

• Digital Integration in Biotherapeutic Analytics
• Biophysical Methods
• Characterization for Novel Biotherapeutics

• TS: Intro to Immunogenicity
• Immunogenicity Assessment and Management
• TS: Intro to Bioassays

• Emerging Indications for Therapeutic Antibodies
• mRNA Therapeutics
• In vivo Cell and Gene Engineering