Day One

Wednesday, June 9

Day Two

Thursday, June 10

8.15am - 5.30pm EDT | 5.15am - 1.30pm PDT

7:30 am Registration and Coffee

8:25 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

8:30 am Industry Leaders’ Fireside Chat: The Future of TCR Therapies

Synopsis

• Current state of the field – various TCR approaches
• Future research and development themes
• Patient populations and delivery – taking T cell therapy mainstream
• Why autologous and allogeneic methods will co-exist

9:15 am The Road to Commercialization: Preparing for BLA, Commercial Readiness, Upscaling Manufacturing for the First Commercial TCR-T Cell Therapy

Synopsis

• Regulatory challenges for an autologous TCR-T cell therapy and companion diagnostics
• Creating a commercial infrastructure to enter a field where prescribers and payers have limited cell therapy experience in solid tumors
• Manufacturing challenges for a product ready for a franchise

9:45 am Discover and Validate TCR Candidates using pMHC and TCR Dextramer® Reagents

Synopsis

• Discover pMHC-specific TCRs using single-cell RNA-seq and dCODE Dextramer® reagents
• Verify TCR functionality using custom-made TCR monomers and Dextramer® reagents
• Quantify target cells and antigen surface expression using custom TCR Dextramer® reagents

10:15 am Morning Refreshment Break & Networking

Improving TCR Discovery to Enhance Safety by Preventing Cross-Reactivity

11:15 am Systematic Characterization of Off-Target TCR Toxicities with Standardized Cellular Assays

Synopsis

• Identification of native and optimized TCR frameworks with high on-target stringency
• Characterization of TCR cross-reactivity – insights and practical benchmarks
• Characterization of TCR allo-reactivity – insights and relevance for patient inclusion and exclusion criteria

11:45 am Finding Effective Methods to Discover TCRs to Ensure Maximum Treatment Ability

Synopsis

• Evaluating what an ‘excellent’ TCR looks like to recognize ideal characteristics
• Reviewing TCR discovery methods to distinguish advantageous approaches
• Assessing TCR safety to ensure few off-target effects in the context of HLA
• Utilizing a high-throughput discovery platform to identify effective TCRs

12:15 pm Harnessing Natural γδ T Cell Receptors to Develop Safe Cellular Therapies for Solid Tumors

Synopsis

• Understanding the unique cancer targeting properties of γδ TCRs
• Identifying the advantages of using γδT cells engineered to express a defined tumor-reactive natural γδTCR (TEG)
• Discussing applicability of γδ TCRs for building allogeneic T cell platforms that retain native recognition and signaling properties

12:45 pm The In-Vitro Measure of Cell Avidity Between Tumor-Effector Pairs, Not Affinity, Predicts Optimal Anti-Tumor Response In-Vivo

Synopsis

• We present data discussing how increased specific avidity, those TCR’s with strongest antigen binding with the lowest background, correlate with improved TCR function in-vitro and in-vivo
• A novel assay where cross-reactivity between TCRs and target can be quickly quantified
• How avidity has shown a correlation with improved tumor control in in-vivo murine models, being significantly more correlative to in-vivo outcome than either cytotoxicity assays or IFN-g release.

1:15 pm Lunch Break and Networking

Discovering Novel Antigens to Expand TCR Target Repertoire

2:15 pm Panel: Exploring Effective Methods to Uncover Novel Targets

  • Piotr Pierog VP, Precision & Translational Medicine, Affini-T Therapeutics

Synopsis

• Using strong TCRs to discover new antigens with high target efficacy
• Applying computational methods, proteomics and AI to unearth targets within solid tumors
• The importance of characterizing targets post-discovery to aid in TCR design and cross-reactivity mitigation
• Finding shared tumor targets to create therapeutics that can treat multiple patients

2:45 pm Discovery of TCRs Targeting Novel Antigens Using Deep Immunomics

  • Katja Fink Senior Director, Discovery, ImmunoScape

Synopsis

• Discovery and development of novel TCR-based therapeutics using the Deep Immunomics platform
• Identification of therapeutically relevant TCRs against both well-characterized and novel targets across multiple HLA types
• Applying computational approaches to advance TCR discovery for novel targets

3:15 pm Combating Solid Tumors by Targeting Tumor-Specific Intracellular Proteins

  • Marvin Gee VP, Target Discovery & Co-Founder, 3T Biosciences, 3T Biosciences

Synopsis

• Comparing and contrasting target discovery methods
• Review of current classes of target antigens and emerging classes
• Considerations and characteristics of tumor-specific targets for therapeutic development

3:45 pm Afternoon Refreshments and Networking

Overcoming the Harsh Solid Tumor Microenvironment to Allow Maximum T Cell Infiltration and Effect

4:15 pm Improving the Efficacy of Adoptive T Cell Therapy by Leveraging the Polyclonality of TIL

Synopsis

• Efficacy of polyclonal TIL: current data in solid tumors
• What’s next: genetically modified TIL
• Ensuring success and access to TIL therapy

4:45 pm Increasing T Cell Fitness and Persistence to Enhance In Vivo Targeting Ability

  • Shannon Oda Assistant Professor, Seattle Children’s Research Institute & University of Washington

Synopsis

• Diminishing T cell exhaustion to strengthen targeting ability of the TCR
• Engineering fewer cells with increased potency to expand targeting time and aid manufacturing efforts
• Constructing T cells with memory to further prolong TCR exposure to the target

5:15 pm Optimizing T Cell Therapy to Make it Curative and Mainstream

Synopsis

• The importance of translational science insights
• Optimizing T cell therapies to improve T cell function, proliferation and survival; facilitate access to the tumor and overcome the tumor micro-environment; recruit the immune system; and promote immunological memory
• Expanding the population of eligible patients with TCRs to alternative HLAs, and HLA independent TCR therapies

5:45 pm Close of Conference Day One

For session details - download Full Event Guide