7:50 am Networking Breakfast
8:30 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Implementing Models in Immunotherapies & Combination Studies
8:35 am Development of In Vivo Models to Study Oncolytic Viral Therapies in Combination Treatments
Synopsis
• Overcoming the complexity of tumour biology and complex therapeutic interactions
• Spotlighting techniques to engineer mouse cell lines to better study oncolytic viruses
• Understanding strategies to combine oncolytic viruses with CAR-T cells for therapy
9:05 am Comparison of Phenotype & Efficacy of Human CAR T cells in vitro & in vivo
Synopsis
- In vivo efficacy testing of CAR T cells in hematological and solid tumors
- Ex vivo characterization of CAR T cell exhaustion by flow cytometry
- 2D and 3D efficacy testing of CAR T cells in vitro
Moving Beyond Safety & Focusing on Efficacy
9:20 am Decoding DNA Damage Response (DDR) Efficacy in Tumour Models to Advance Translation into the Clinic
Synopsis
• Identifying current challenges associated with evaluating DDR-targeted therapies in preclinical tumour models
• Uncovering assays to assess the effects of polymerase theta in combination therapy
• Exploring strategies to improve the translational relevance of DDR studies
9:50 am Gene Expression Signatures of Tumor Immunogenicity and Cellular Proliferation from Murine Cancer Models, In Vitro and In Vivo
Synopsis
- We successfully correlated the murine cell line gene expression data with the gene signatures used to generate tumor immunogencity score (TIGS) and cellular proliferation (CP) scores from human clinical data.
- RNA sequencing on in vitro and in vivo samples from syngeneic mouse models revealed marked differences in expression of genes involved in immunogenicity and cellular proliferation.
10:00 am Morning Break & Networking Coffee
10:30 am How to Enhance Translatability of Immunotherapies in Preclinical Models
Synopsis
- Outlining BRGSF-HIS mice: Immunodeficient mice displaying functional human lymphoid and myeloid compartments, without GvHD and side effects
- Examining myeloid cells functionality and assessing immune modulation induced by biologics in BRGSF-HIS model
- Showcase of assessment of immune targeting agents in immune checkpoint humanized models
11:00 am Applying Tumour Models to Inform Precision Medicine Decisions
Synopsis
• Uncovering the use of primary patient samples and clinical data to stratify patients based on biomarkers and predictive factors for targeted therapy selection
• Leveraging these findings to treat different indications and applications beyond target discovery
• Highlighting the potential of integrated approaches to accelerate the development of personalized therapies and improve patient outcomes
11:30 am MiniPDX – a Tool for Faster in vivo Drug Validation
Synopsis
- MiniPDX in clinic for personalized oncology
- Application in lab setting for drug validation studies
- Correlation with clinical results
Preparing for the Future of Tumour Modelling
11:40 am Breakout Roundtable Discussions
Synopsis
This session is your opportunity to share your most pressing challenges, and work as a group 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 using tumour models for efficacy predictions and uncover the future of the field. Groups will then share their findings with all attendees, giving you maximum exposure to new ideas!
Topic 1 : Improving Efficacy Predictions by Leveraging a Tumour Model
Synopsis
• Exploring innovative techniques and technologies used in in vivo pharmacology, such as imaging modalities, biomarker analysis, and longitudinal monitoring of tumour response
• Highlighting the impact of incorporating PK/PD studies in tumour models for a comprehensive understanding of drug behaviour and therapeutic response
• Addressing the challenges and opportunities in translating preclinical efficacy predictions to clinical outcome
Topic 2 : What Does the Future of Preclinical Tumour Modelling Look Like To You?
Synopsis
• How can we use preclinical models to streamline drug development and make it more cost-effective?
• Highlighting the importance of optimizing translatability into the clinic – the next steps
• How can models be used in the context of precision oncology?
12:10 pm Lunch Break
Alternative Models & Their Applications for Therapeutic Discovery
1:10 pm Implementing Zebrafish to Predict Patient Responses in the Clinic
Synopsis
• Exploring strategies to overcome the limitations and increase the translational relevance of zebrafish PDX models in precision oncology
• Uncovering the potential of zebrafish xenograft models in evaluating immunotherapeutic agents for bladder cancer
• Discussing a case study of zebrafish PDX model use to improve clinical translatability
1:40 pm BioReperia ZTX – a New Translational Oncology In Vivo Tool for Speed Drug Discovery & Precision Medicine
Synopsis
- How can zebrafish embryos enhance oncology patient survival?
- ZTX ONCOLEADS: Accelerating drug discovery and development.
- ZTX: A versatile, agile and customizable toolbox for tumor regression, toxicity control and metastasis inhibition
1:50 pm Session Details to be Confirmed
2:20 pm Networking Break
Emerging Models & Their Applications in Therapeutic Discovery
2:50 pm Session Details to be Confirmed
3:30 pm Harnessing Organoids & Spheroids to Advance DDR Therapeutic Insights for Ewing Sarcoma
Synopsis
• Highlighting the advantages of organoids and spheroids in recapitulating the tumour microenvironment, genetic heterogeneity, and therapeutic responses of Ewing sarcoma
• Discussing strategies to enhance the translational relevance of these models, such as incorporating patient-derived cells, genetic profiling, and integration of immune components
• Exploring innovative approaches, such as 3D bioprinting, to improve the predictive power and clinical translatability of Ewing sarcoma models