CONFERENCE DAY ONE - TUESDAY JULY 22, 2025

8:00 am Check-In, Badge Collection & Morning Coffee

8:50 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

  • Hongyu Xue Director - In Vivo Pharmacology, Oncology & Research, Bayer

Building a Consensus on Modeling Protocols to Empower Translation to the Clinic

9:00 am Syngeneic Models to Support Bispecific T Cell Engager Drug Development

  • Sarah O’Brien Senior Principal Scientist, Cancer Immunology, Immune Modulation, Boehringer Ingelheim

Synopsis

  • Model development to recapitulate the target expression and the tumor microenvironment
  • Uncovering strategies for combination treatments
  • Understanding mechanisms of treatment resistance

9:30 am Patient-Derived Tumor Spheroids to Model the Tumor Microenvironment & Accelerate Drug Development

Synopsis

  • Applying patient-derived tumor spheroids to model the tumor immune microenvironment including T cell infiltration and function, tumor fibrosis, CAF and endothelial cell biology
  • Modeling the specific treatment response of compounds on the patient tumor immune environment and cancer epithelial cells using single cell RNASeq and proteomics
  • Understanding how patient-derived tumor spheroids accelerate drug development using liver and pancreatic cancer as examples

10:00 am Session Reserved for Certis Oncology

Synopsis

  • Presentation details to be announced

10:30 am Morning Break & Speed Networking

Synopsis

As the tumor modeling community comes together once again, this session offers the perfect opportunity to reconnect with peers and forge new connections. Through a series of structured 3-minute introductions, you'll be paired with fellow attendees, making it easy to expand your network and engage with industry colleagues!

Applications in Drug Discovery & Screening

11:30 am Adaptable & Hemodynamic Human Endothelial Cells for Immunotherapeutic Organoid Tumor Targeting

Synopsis

  • Exploring the integration of multiple cell types, including immune cells and stromal cells, to create more physiologically relevant models
  • Discussing how this device can be implemented for drug screening purposes and to uncover the molecular basis of tumor resistance and metastasis
  • Showcasing a case study illustrating how this device provided critical insights into CAR-T development, and potential combination strategies

12:00 pm Advancing Targeted Protein Degrader Identification Through Mathematical Models

Synopsis

  • Spotlighting the development and use of mathematical models and theories to empower targeted protein degradation development
  • Clarifying the interplay between different parameters responsible for modulating the pharmacodynamics response of TPDs
  • Discussing the findings from these models and theories to gain a deep and intuitive understanding of the mechanism by which PROTACs and glue binders induce targeted protein degradation

Applications for Efficacy Evaluation & Biomarker Discovery

Synopsis

Track Moderator: Hongyu Xue, Director, In Vivo Pharmacology, Oncology Research, Bayer

11:30 am Mastermind Session:Discussing the Different in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo & in silico Models in Use

Synopsis

  • What models do you use, and in what context do you use them for?
  • What challenges have you encountered, and how have you overcome them?
  • What is the optimal number of preclinical models to accurately predict response in the clinic?

12:00 pm Session Reserved for DRL

Synopsis

  • Presentation details to be announced

12:30 pm Lunch Break & Networking

1:30 pm Advancing Cell Therapies Through Diverse Tumor Models

  • Rosa Ng Associate Director, Takeda

Synopsis

  • Challenges in evaluating allogeneic cell therapies preclinically
  • Rationale of selecting different tumor models to assess allogeneic cell therapies
  • Assessing strategies to improve infiltration and persistence in tumor microenvironment

2:00 pm Genetically Engineered Mouse Models to Empower Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Therapeutic Improvement

Synopsis

  • Whole exome sequencing in patients informs the generation of faithful mouse models to study DLBCL development and progression
  • Single cell RNA sequencing allows to study B-cell lymphomagenesis and the concomitant T-cell-mediated immune response
  • The combined analysis of asymptomatic animals at multiple time points and mice with lymphoma informs potential therapies for patients

1:30 pm Selection & Characterization of in vivo Models to Empower ADC Development & Decision-Making

  • Jutta Deckert Vice President, Research & Development, Iksuda Therapeutics

Synopsis

  • Discussing the challenges in choosing the right in vivo model that expresses the target of interest and matches the genetic profiles observed in the patient population
  • Highlighting the rationale behind selecting the right cell-derived or patient-derived model
  • Leveraging findings from models to inform decision-making

2:00 pm Generation & Characterization of a Post-Checkpoint Inhibitor Mouse Tumor Model of Resistance

Synopsis

  • Mouse models that mimic the patient population in the clinic who have acquired resistance to checkpoint therapies
  • Combination efficacy of our clinical assets in the IO refractory tumor models
  • Leveraging these findings to improve translation to benefit Post-CPI patients

2:30 pm Scientific Poster Competition & Afternoon Refreshments

Synopsis

Witness some of the latest and greatest research in the tumor modeling field in this spotlight poster session! Visit the website for T&Cs for submitting a poster

Employing Clinical Lessons Learned & Pitting Subcutaneous Against Orthotopic Models to Uncover Translational Relevance

3:30 pm Session Reserved for xenoSTART

Synopsis

  • Presentation details to be announced

4:00 pm Evolving Approaches to Targeted Therapies & Companion Diagnostics

  • Robert Getzenberg Director, Medical Affairs, Companion Diagnostics Oncology, Astellas

Synopsis

  • Discussing how clinical observations and patient data can be used to refine and develop more accurate tumor models, enhancing their relevance and predictive power
  • Highlighting the role of reverse translation in validating clinical biomarkers, ensuring their reliability and utility in predicting patient outcomes
  • Leveraging this data to refine patient stratification methods and enhance the design of future clinical trials for improved treatment outcomes

4:30 pm Session Reserved for LIDE

Synopsis

  • Presentation details to be announced

5:00 pm Enhancing the Clinical Relevance of Brain Tumor Research Through Orthotopic Mouse Models

Synopsis

  • Reiterating the importance of using multiple models to get a holistic view on oncology research
  • Comparing subcutaneous versus orthotopic models to understand which model better replicates the tumor microenvironment
  • Exploring the predictive power of orthotopic models in evaluating therapeutic response to lead better translation to the clinic for glioblastoma and pediatric brain tumors

5:30 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

  • Hongyu Xue Director - In Vivo Pharmacology, Oncology & Research, Bayer