7:30 am Registration & Morning Coffee

8:20 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

  • Douglas Palmer Executive Director. Immuno-Oncology Translational Medicine, AstraZeneca

Bridging The Gap With Mouse & Cell Lines to Patients

8:30 am Panel Discussion: Selecting The Best Model Depending on the Cancer Type: How To Do This?

Synopsis

• Pros and cons of the most commonly implemented models

• Strategies to select the most appropriate model for your cancer study

• Context of use for drug combination studies

Moderated by: Daniela Dinulescu, Director, Tumor Immunobiology, ICC Discovery Group, Oncology R&D, Astra Zeneca

9:15 am Bringing Greater Certainty to Oncology Therapeutics Development with Predictive AI and Advanced Cancer Models

  • Michael Boice Senior Director, Scientific Engagement and Key Accounts, Certis Oncology Solutions, Inc.

Synopsis

• Evaluating synergistic drug combinations with CertisAI™ Predictive Oncology Intelligence 

• Identifying biomarkers with in silico predictions and conducting in vivo validation studies using advanced cancer models

• Achieving clinical translatability with ex vivo PDX models that closely recapitulate the human tumor microenvironment

9:45 am The Independent Action Model for Cancer Drug Combination Activity: Why Preclinical Combination Models are Failing at an Unprecedented Rate in the Clinic

Synopsis

• Highlighting the need for clear rationales to develop combination therapies

• Exploring the importance of defining synergy to reduce the failure rates of current clinical trials

10:15 am Tempus PanTumor 60™, a Panel of 60 Tumor Organoids from 10 Indications, is a Rapid, Cost Effective Screening Platform for ADCs and Small Molecule Inhibitors

  • Julie Gerardi Vice President, Business Development, Biological Modeling and Functional Genomics, Tempus

Synopsis

•  Learn how Tempus uses real-world data and three-dimensional tumor modeling to advance discovery and translational research via a rapid, cost effective screening platform

10:45 am Morning Break & Networking Session

Synopsis

As the tumor model community is reunited, this valuable session will ensure you get the chance to reconnect with peers and make brand new connections too! This structured networking opportunity will pair you with fellow attendees for several 3-minute introductions, ensuring you have the opportunity to meet and network with your academic and industry colleagues!

Track Chair: Stephanie Casey Parks, Principal Scientist, Department of Oncology, Amgen

11:30 am Obesity and Cancer: Understanding the Impact on Tumor Growth and Responsiveness to Immune Checkpoint Therapy in Diet Induced Obesity Mice

  • Erin Trachet Senior. Director of Scientific Engagement, TD2

Synopsis

• Obesity is a worldwide issue and impacts how cancer develops and is treated

• Using a mouse model that mimics both diseases is critical in developing effective cancer treatments

• Looking beyond the tumor growth to the immune cell populations and metabolism can help provide further clarity into the behavior of this dual disease system

12:00 pm Exploring Strategies to Model AML Using Multicell Type Organoid Cultures for Drug Synergy Studies – VIRTUAL

Synopsis

• Modelling the TME in multicell type organoid cultures

• Leveraging the AML model to test drug synergy

12:30 pm XenoSTART: The Superior Source for Clinically Relevant Cancer Models

Synopsis

• Introducing XenoSTART and showcasing their 2500+ XPDX models fully annotated with clinical treatment data, genomic profiling, and drug efficacy results

• Highlighting their panels of ER+ breast, prostate and hematologic models  

• Presenting XPDX model licensing platform for industry and academic collaborators

Implementing Tumor Models for Efficacy Evaluation & Biomarker Discovery

Track Chair: Doug Palmer, Executive Director, ImmunoOncology Translational Medicine, AstraZeneca

11:30 am MATERMIND SESSION: Understanding mechanism of action of drug compounds using patient primary samples

Synopsis

• Translating learnings towards leveraging effective target identification

• Understanding opportunistic gain of the compounds

• Assessing strategies to identify potential biomarkers from clinical trials

12:00 pm Strategizing Combination Therapy to Overcome Acquired Resistance

Synopsis

• Understanding the need for models that mimic relapse in patients

• Implementing PDX and in-house engineered CDX models to bridge translatability

• Combination approaches to overcome acquired resistance 

12:30 pm Combination Strategies to Maximize the Benefit of IO Therapies

Synopsis

• Understanding the synergistic potential of combination therapies in enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapies

• Exploring the rational design and selection of complementary agents for optimal combination strategies in the context of immuno-oncology

• Examining preclinical tumor models as valuable tools to evaluate and predict the efficacy of combination therapies in guiding clinical decision-making

1:00pm Networking Lunch

Implementing Tumor Models For Drug Discovery & Screening

Track Chair: Stephanie Casey Parks, Principal Scientist, Department of Oncology, Amgen

2:00 pm Preclinical Models to Evaluate Next Generation I/O Therapies

Synopsis

• Enhanced modeling of the TME in the subcutaneous setting

• Strategies to model specific biology and timing in preclinical models

• Applications for early drug discovery and rational combination approaches

2:30 pm Mapping Transcription Regulatory Networks in Tumor Models and Primary Patient Tumors to Understand and Target Oncogenic Transcription Factor Activity

Synopsis

• Integrating cell lines, in vivo models and real-world evidence to develop transcription regulatory network (TRN) maps

• Leveraging these TRN maps to understand and target oncogenic transcription factors for therapeutic purposes

Implementing Tumor Models For Efficacy Evaluation & Biomarker Discovery

Track Chair: Doug Palmer, Executive Director, ImmunoOncology Translational Medicine, AstraZeneca

2:00 pm Measuring Drug Resistance and Sensitivity in Preclinical Tumor Models

Synopsis

• Discovering the methods to analyze drug resistance

• Implementing drug combinations to overcome resistance

2:30 pm Overcoming Tumor Resistance by Leveraging RNAi

  • Shanthi Ganesh Director, Discovery Research Pre-Clinical Oncology, Dicerna Pharmaceuticals

Synopsis

• Role of tumor associated immune cells in creating a suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME)

• Strategies to overcome tumor resistance in the context of the TME

• Understanding how RNAi could play a key role in converting an immunotherapy resistant phenotype to inflamed tumor phenotype

• RNAi mediated activity in immunotherapy resistant sensitive tumors

3:00 pm Afternoon Refreshment & Poster Session

Moving Beyond Animal Models to Increase Translatability in Humans

3:45 pm Engineering Precision Cut Tissue Slices for Pre-clinical Investigations of the Tumour Microenvironment

Synopsis

• FibroFind have transformed pre-clinical drug development with a bioreactor system that maintains ex-vivo tissues in high metabolic health for several days and which they have recently innovated for modelling the tumour microenvironment inclusive of its immune cell constituents.

• Ex-vivo mouse and human tumours can be cultured in 24- and 96-well formats enabling pre-clinical oncology and immuno- oncology studies to be carried out at-scale and addressing the important challenges of tumour tissue heterogeneity.

• FibroFind are also innovating the engineering of synthetic tumour-tissue microenvironments by combining patient-derived tumour cell lines with human precision cut tissue slices to provide more physiological high-throughput drug development platforms

4:15 pm Ex Vivo Tumor Models for Drug Development and Clinical Testing

Synopsis

• Understanding Kiyatec’s different ex vivo platforms

• Application of ex vivo models throughout drug development, including immuno-oncology

• Correlating ex vivo response to in vivo response in XPDX and the clinic

4:45 pm BREAKOUT ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS – Reviewing the Different Models in Use, Understanding the Reasons Behind Why They are Chosen, and Their Potential in Combination Therapy

Synopsis

This session is your opportunity to share your most pressing challenges, and work in small groups to come up with solutions that you can implement right away! Each topic area will have several small groups, and each group will have 20 minutes to discuss ways to overcome barriers in implementing these models for combination therapy and immunoncology. Groups will then share their findings with all attendees, giving you maximum exposure to new ideas!

Mouse Models (CDX, PDX & More)

4:45 pm Mouse Models (CDX, PDX & More)

  • Vinny Motwani Scientist II, MOMA Therapeutics
  • Kim Aardalen Director, Preclinical Pharmacology Oncology, Odyssey Therapeutics

Synopsis

• Reviewing the reasons and context for use

• Spotlighting methods to optimize translatability to patients

• Determining analysis strategies for combination efficacy and safety

Patient-Derived Tumor Models

4:45 pm Patient-Derived Tumor Models

Synopsis

• Highlighting the different preclinical tumor models in use

• Reviewing the reasons and context for use

• Determining analysis strategies for combination efficacy and safety

5:15 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

5:15 Networking Drinks Reception