The Seventh Annual Antibodies for Cancer Therapy meeting has become a critical forum for learning the newest trends in designing antibodies against oncology targets. This meeting will review current strategies and recent developments with novel constructs
and emerging targets for oncology. Leaders in the community will discuss advances and share learning experiences with the audience to facilitate knowledge sharing and improve our success rate in this important area. Much progress has been made recently,
so don’t miss this chance to gain wisdom that will impact your work.
Scientific Advisory Board
Soldano Ferrone, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Surgical Oncology, Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital
Mitchell Ho, Ph.D., Chief, Antibody Therapy Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH
Horacio G. Nastri, Ph.D., Senior Director, Antibody Biotherapeutics, Incyte Corporation
Final Agenda
Recommended Short Courses*
SC2: Translational Considerations for Development of Monoclonal Antibodies Part I: Focus on Early Discovery - Detailed Agenda
SC7: Translational Considerations for Development of Monoclonal Antibodies Part II: Focus on Nonclinical Development to the Clinic - Detailed Agenda
*Separate registration required
MONDAY, MAY 1
7:00 am Registration and Morning Coffee
8:30 Chairperson’s Remarks
Mitchell Ho, Ph.D., Chief, Antibody Therapy Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH
8:40 CAR‐T Strategies Targeting Hematologic and Solid Malignancies
David G. Maloney, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director, Cellular Immunotherapy; Leonard and Norma Klorfine Endowed Chair
for Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Professor, Medicine, Oncology, University of Washington
The recent successes of CD19‐specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)‐modified T cell immunotherapy are built on a foundation provided by previous generations of preclinical and
clinical studies. Despite the many differences in CAR design, manufacturing strategies, and clinical delivery that make comparisons between clinical trials difficult to interpret, we are beginning to identify patterns that will inform future generations
of the optimal design of CAR‐T cell immunotherapy trials.
9:10 Beyond CD19: Alternative and Multispecific Immunotherapeutic Targeting Strategies to Overcome Leukemic Resistance to CAR Therapy
Terry J. Fry, M.D., Investigator and Head, Hematologic Malignancies Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute
CD19 antigen loss may occur in approximately one third of patients achieving remission following CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor expressing T cell (CAR-T) therapy. Dr. Fry will discuss results from a CD22-targeted CAR-T trial demonstrating
successful remission induction in patients relapsing after CD19 CAR-T cell therapy. He will then discuss the preclinical development of multispecific immunotherapeutic targeting approaches to prevent leukemic resistance due to antigen-loss.
9:40 Concerted Antibody Drug and Target Discovery by Phage Display
Christoph Rader, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute
The paucity of suitable targets for monoclonal antibodies and their derived entities, including antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor T cells, currently limits their broader utility for cancer therapy.
To complement bottom-up target discovery strategies based on genomics and proteomics, we developed novel top-down, target agnostic approaches that are based on whole-cell selections of antibody libraries from immune and naïve antibody
repertoires by phage display.
10:10 Coffee Break
10:50 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Immunotherapy – The Need for Novel Targets?
Laszlo Radvanyi, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Global Head of The Immuno-Oncology Translational Innovation
Platform at EMD Serono (a business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany)
Despite the impact on overall response rates (ORRs) made by the new immuno-oncology agents, there are huge unmet needs in a number of difficult-to-treat cancers. While precision medicine and combination treatments may offer potential to further
increase ORRs from checkpoint inhibitors to 40–50%, novel immunotherapy approaches may further unlock new mechanisms that attack cancer cells. This presentation will overview different approaches and where the next significant advances
may come from.
11:20 Development on Novel Therapeutic Antibodies for Cancer Derived from Single Human B Cells
Edward F. Patz, Jr., M.D., James and Alice Chen Professor, Radiology; Professor, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology,
Radiology, Duke University Medical Center
In an effort to develop novel therapeutic antibodies against a tumor specific antigen, we isolated and expressed DNA sequences from single, sorted B cells obtained from patients with autoantibodies against the relevant target. A recombinant antibody
was then produced in mammalian cells, and shown to cause tumor growth inhibition in vivo. This strategy represents an alternative paradigm in antibody drug discovery.
11:50 Target Selection in Antibody Therapy Development
Bin Liu, Ph.D., Professor, Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco
One of the most challenging tasks in antibody therapy development is target selection. In addition to tumor specificity, other factors need to be considered to maximize the therapeutic window. We will describe some of our approaches for cell surface
target discovery and our experience in translational development of human antibodies binding to selected targets.
12:20 pm Cancer Biotherapeutics - Affimers: A Novel Scaffold for Biotherapeutics
Amrik Basran, CSO, Therapeutics, Avacta Life Sciences
Affimers® are a new protein scaffold with great potential for the generation of biotherapeutics. Based on the protease inhibitor Stefin A, large diverse libraries have been created by engineering in peptide loops into the scaffold backbone.
Using phage display, we have identified competitive binders to a ranage of targets, including the immune check point, PD-L1. We have shown that the scaffold is amenable to being engineered with a range of half-life extension technologies.
12:50 Luncheon Presentation: The Better Biologic: Bypassing Traditional Barriers in the Rapid Development of an IO Portfolio of Biosuperiors
Jacob Glanville, Ph.D., CSO, Distributed Bio Inc
Optimizing affinity, specificity, stability, biochemical liability removal, aggregation propensity, expression efficiency, cross-reactivity, half-life, and immunogenicity, is time consuming and for some molecules insurmountable. These barriers
can be circumvented using discovery libraries pre-depleted and pre-selected for developability features. Through rational engineering, computational design optimization, in-vivo & in-vitro mass selection, the SuperHuman library enables
a new class of mAb discovery that is pre-engineered developable.
1:50 Session Break
2:20 Problem-Solving Breakout Discussions
These interactive discussion groups are open to all attendees, speakers, sponsors, & exhibitors. Participants choose a specific breakout discussion group to join. Each group has a moderator to ensure focused discussions around key issues
within the topic. This format allows participants to meet potential collaborators, share examples from their work, vet ideas with peers, and be part of a group problem-solving endeavor. The discussions provide an informal exchange of ideas
and are not meant to be a corporate or specific product discussion. Pre-registration to sign up for one of the topics will occur a week or two prior to the Event via the App.
Antibody Target Discovery: Challenges and Opportunities
Christoph Rader, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute
- What are properties of good targets?
- Hematologic vs. solid malignancies
- Cancer stem cell targets
- Bottom-up versus top-down target discovery strategies
- Is combinatorial targeting ready for prime time?
3:20 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
4:00 Chairperson’s Remarks
4:10 Bicycles and Bicycle Drug Conjugates: Next Generation Therapeutics
Sir Gregory Winter, Ph.D., FRS, Master, Trinity College and Co-Founder and Director, Bicycle Therapeutics
Bicycles® are a novel therapeutic class of constrained bicyclic peptides that combine antibody-like affinity and selectivity with small molecule-like tissue penetration, tunable exposure and chemical synthesis. They have potential in many
indications, including oncology, where Bicycles’ unique properties have been used to develop Bicycle Drug Conjugates™ (BDCs); a novel toxin delivery platform which greatly improves toxin loading into tumour tissues. This presentation
will describe both the Bicycle® and BDC platforms.
4:55 Young Scientist Keynote: Programming Proteins by Deep Sequencing and Design
Tim Whitehead, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State
University
Next-generation sequencing has presented protein scientists with the ability to observe entire populations of molecules before, during, and after a high-throughput screen or selection for function. My group leverages this unprecedented
wealth of sequence-function information to design and engineer protein affinity, specificity, and function and to infer structural complexes of proteins. My talk will present an overview of the above and detail methodological improvements
that enable the engineering work.
5:40 Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
6:55 End of Day
TUESDAY, MAY 2
8:00 am Registration and Morning Coffee
8:25 Chairperson’s Remarks
Soldano Ferrone, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Surgical Oncology, Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital
8:30 CD19-Targeted CAR T Cell Therapies in the Lab and in the Clinic
Marco Davila, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Member, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
and Research Institute
A major advance for T cell therapy is the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), which is a single chain variable fragment (scFv) fused to the signal domains of a T cell receptor (TCR). We review the clinical experience with CD19-targeted CAR
T cells in patients with B cell malignancies and recent pre-clinical studies that suggest new directions in CAR design that can enhance function CAR T cell function in patients.
9:00 Combined Inhibition of IDO1 and PD-1 as an Effective Therapeutic Strategy in Cancer
Peggy Scherle, Ph.D., Vice President, Preclinical Pharmacology, Incyte Corporation
Antibodies to checkpoint receptors have demonstrated unprecedented efficacy in a broad range of tumors types and represent a new paradigm in cancer treatment focused on inhibition of mechanisms that suppress anti-tumoral immunity. Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1
(IDO1) has also emerged as an immunotherapy target due to its role in regulating T-cell responses. Preclinical and early clinical data will be described that support the combination of IDO1 inhibition with antibodies to checkpoint
receptors.
9:30 Clinical Features and Response to Systemic Therapy in a Historical Cohort of Advanced or Unresectable Mucosal Melanoma
Paul B. Chapman, M.D., Attending Physician and Section Head, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering
Cancer Center; Professor, Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College Center
There is little data available regarding the pattern of first metastases in resected mucosal melanomas (MMs) as well as the response of advanced MM to cytotoxic therapy. A retrospective, single-institution cohort was assembled of all patients
with advanced/unresectable MM between 1995 and 2012 who had received systemic therapy with available imaging.
10:00 Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
10:50 Bispecific Antibodies for T Cell Recruitment and Dual Checkpoint Blockade
John R. Desjarlais, Ph.D., CSO, Xencor, Inc.
Xencor’s bispecific antibody platform utilizes a strongly hetero-dimerizing Fc domain and a scFv-Fab-Fc format to create high-yield and highly developable bispecific antibodies. We will discuss application of the platform to create
of a pipeline of T cell-redirecting CD3 bispecifics that have compelling in vivo activity, and a series of bispecific antibodies that selectively target double-checkpoint-positive T cells to promote
stronger T cell activation. Several checkpoint pairs, including PD1 x CTLA4, promote enhanced T cell activation in vitro and in vivo.
11:20 Breaking Symmetry: Towards a New Generation of Bispecific Antibodies
Luis Alvarez-Vallina, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Engineering, Aarhus University
For many applications, asymmetric configurations where one antigen is bound multivalently and another is bound monovalently may be advantageous. Recently, we have developed a technology platform that allows the rapid and efficient engineering
of mono and multispecific tandem trimerbodies with defined stoichiometry and controlled orientation of the antigen binding domains.
11:50 POSTER PRESENTATION A91: eHSP90 - A Novel Target in Metastasis Control
Susana Filipe, Ph.D., Project Manager, Biopharmaceuticals, Pharmis Biopharmaceuticals
12:05 POSTER PRESENTATION B126: Bispecific Chemically Self-Assembling Nanorings (CSANs) with Engineered Fibronectins
Ozgun Kilic, Ph.D. Candidate, Research Assistant, Cancer & Cardiovascular Research, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
12:20
pm Luncheon Presentation: OmniRat, OmniMouse, Omniflic: Transgenic Animals for the Generation of Fully Human Antibodies
Christel Iffland, Ph.D., Vice President, Antibody Technologies, Ligand
OmniAb® includes three transgenic animals for generation of human antibodies. OmniRat® and OmniMouse® generate antibodies with human idiotypes as effectively as wildtype animals make rat antibodies. OmniFlic® is an engineered
rat with a fixed light chain for the development of bi-specific antibodies. OmniAb antibodies have been generated with more than 100 therapeutic targets. The first OmniAb antibody entered phase I trials in 2016.
1:20 Ice Cream Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
2:00 Chairperson’s Remarks
Horacio G. Nastri, Ph.D., Senior Director, Antibody Biotherapeutics, Incyte Corporation
2:05 Synergy Generates Picomolar Potency and a High Resistance Barrier in Combinectin: A Novel Trispecific HIV-1 Entry Inhibitor with Clinical Promise
Jonathan H. Davis, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Protein Design, Bristol-Myers Squibb
We have designed a biological HIV-1 entry inhibitor with three linked active domains (two Adnectins and a helical peptide) that have separate inhibitory actions. Each of the individual components has an EC50 in the low nM range, but when
fused into a single molecule, two different synergistic mechanisms enhance the potency by up to 100-fold or more, with a concomitant boost in the resistance barrier. We describe the design and optimization of the Combinectin, and discuss
the general principal of how symmetric and asymmetric synergy can be used and combined to create extremely potent therapeutics.
2:35 Integrin-Targeted Combination Immunotherapy Using Fusion Proteins
Jennifer Cochran, Ph.D., Hitachi America Associate Professor, Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
We have adapted an engineered integrin-binding peptide-Fc fusion to recruit immune cell effector functions to tumors. The co-administration of peptide-Fc fusion and an immune stimulating cytokine results in significant control of tumor
growth in several tumor models, including melanoma and colon carcinoma, which is further enhanced by checkpoint blockade inhibitors.
3:05 Ultra-Deep Screening of Natural Antibody Repertoires Using High-Content Single-Cell Selection Assays
Carl Hansen, Ph.D., President & CEO, AbCellera
AbCellera’s microfluidic platform enables deep screening of natural immune repertoires using a wide array of single-cell selection assays including multiplexed binding, species cross-reactivity, ligand blocking, and various cell-based
assays. The combination of screening throughput and multi-step selection assays improves the diversity and speed of lead candidate generation.
3:20
Presentation to be Announced: Applying Novel Mice Platforms to Generate Fully Human Antibodies for Global Biotherapeutic Innovation
Liang Schweizer. Ph.D., CSO, Harbour BioMed
The Harbour transgenic mice platforms generate fully human monoclonal antibodies (H2L2) and heavy-chain only antibodies (HCAb). Applying those platforms, the company is developing next-generation biologics focusing on interactions of multiple
cell types in tumor microenvironments. Further explorations of HCAb and bispecific platforms are driving global biotherapeutic innovations.
3:35 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
4:20 Chairperson’s Remarks
Janice M. Reichert, Ph.D., Executive Director, The Antibody Society and Editor-in-Chief, mAbs
4:25 Antibody Coupled T Cell Receptor (ACTR): A New Modality for Naked Antibodies
Seth Ettenberg, Ph.D., CSO, Unum Therapeutics
Immunotherapy is a promising option for cancer treatment. Recent results of clinical trials specifically manipulating a patient’s own T-cell response provide compelling evidence and clinical benefit. T-cells engineered to express
an Antibody Coupled T-cell Receptor (ACTR), the ectodomain of CD16 fused to costimulatory and CD3z signaling domains, exert powerful cytotoxicity against tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.
This approach allows for the production of a single cellular product to be combined with many different tumor-targeting antibodies, creating a universal T-cell product.
4:40 Bstrongximab, a Novel Antibody-Drug-Conjugate Targeting Metastatic and Aggressive Cancers
W. Mike Schopperle, Ph.D., CEO, CureMeta LLC
Almost all solid tumor patient deaths are due to metastatic cancer. CureMeta is a biotech company developing novel antibody-based therapeutics to treat and cure patients with metastatic cancers. We are generating novel antibodies and potent
ADCs specific to embryonic targets which are not expressed in normal healthy tissues but are re-expressed in aggressive and metastatic cancer. Bstrongximab is the lead drug in CureMeta’s pipeline.
4:55 Engineering Alphabodies to Generate Potent Inhibitors of Intracellular Protein-Protein Interactions
Yvonne McGrath, Ph.D., CSO, Complix NV
The Cell Penetrating Alphabody (CPAB) is a unique protein scaffold designed to target therapeutically important intracellular PPI. We will show that CPABs targeting the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 enter cancer cells in vitro,
disrupt the Mcl-1:BAK complex thereby activating BAK and apoptotic cell death. Integration of an albumin binding domain extends the half-life of CPABs, thereby allowing for efficient tumor uptake, apoptotic cell death and tumor growth
retardation in vivo.
5:10 Immuno-Oncology Target Selection and Monoclonal Antibody Development Process
Maloy Ghosh, Ph.D., CSO, Zumutor Biologics
Rapid scientific understanding of Immuno-oncology led to an explosion of information on drug targets. The scenario gets more complicated with recent strategies of combination therapy with almost all monoclonal antibody therapies available.
We will describe our strategy of analyzing these diverse yet hugely potential targets encompassing various cancers. We have developed unique non-immune and synthetic antibody libraries and used them in antibody display technologies
to develop monoclonal antibody products against multiple targets.
5:25 End of Antibodies for Cancer Therapy
5:30 Registration for Dinner Short Courses
Recommended Dinner Short Course*
SC12: Study Design and Statistical Data Analysis of Flow Cytometry Assays - Detailed Agenda
*Separate registration required