7:00 am Registration

9:40 Grand Opening Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

DEVELOPMENTS WITH ANTIBODY-DRUG CONJUGATES

11:00 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks

Ho Sung Cho, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, Ambrx, Inc. 

11:10 Antibody-Drug Conjugates: An Emerging Modality for the Targeted Therapy of Liquid and Solid Tumors

Puja Sapra, Ph.D., Director, Bioconjugates, Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Biotherapeutics

This presentation will provide an update of Pfizer’s ADC programs. Phase II/III data of CMC-544, an anti-CD22 calicheamicin conjugate will be discussed. Additionally, pre-clinical data of an ADC targeting the oncofetal antigen 5T4, expressed on tumor initiating cells in solid tumors, will be described.

11:40 Experiences with Finding a Good Target for ADC Drug Development

Andy Simmons, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Preclinical Research, Takeda San Francisco, Inc.

Recent data will be highlighted that expands our understanding of the antigen, antibody, and ADC properties required for potent in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity. 

12:10 pm Proteomics for the Discovery of Novel Oncology Antigen Targets and the Subsequent Development of Antibody-Drug Conjugates

Jon Terrett, Ph.D., CSO, Oxford Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Clinical trials of ADCs are finally producing proof-of-concept with some spectacular results in Oncology. Proteomics is perfectly poised to deliver novel targets for ADC development as detection of cancer specific membrane proteins leads directly to ADC targetable antigens.

12:40 Luncheon Presentations (Sponsorship Opportunities Available) or Lunch on Your Own

1:45 Dessert in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

 

Developments with Antibody-Drug Conjugates

2:15 Chairperson’s Remarks

Jon Terrett, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, Oxford Biotherapeutics, Inc. 

2:20 Optimizing the Performance of Antibody Drug Conjugates with an Expanded Genetic Code

Ho Sung Cho, Ph.D., CTO, Ambrx, Inc.

The site of conjugation has a significant impact on the plasma stability of cathepsin-cleavable linkers. Site-specific conjugation preserves target binding and minimizes off-target binding. Ambrx ADCs have PK similar to the naked wt-mAb resulting in improved efficacy and Therapeutic Index.

2:50 Talk Title to be Announced

2:50 Advancements in ADC Technologies Using Potent Auristatin Conjugates

Svetlana Doronina, Ph.D., Senior Principal Scientist, Chemistry, Seattle Genetics, Inc.

We have developed antibody-drug conjugates of antitumor mAbs attached to highly potent auristatin antimitotic agents. These contain optimized drugs and linkers and preserve mAb activity. These have been applied to several tumor targets and used in advanced clinical trials.

Ligand-Receptor Interactions

3:20 Engineered Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Domains for Treatment of Metastatic Cancers

Jennifer Cochran, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Bioengineering, Stanford University

We used a soluble receptor as a decoy to inhibit the biological activity of a ligand involved in ovarian cancer metastasis. Yeast surface display was used to engineer variants that bound ligand with 20-fold higher affinity over wild-type receptor. The engineered receptor exhibited a remarkable ability to inhibit ovarian cancer metastasis in several pre-clinical models in contrast to the wild-type receptor which was only marginally effective.

3:50 The Serine Protease-like Domain of HGF is an Allosteric Switch that Binds and Activates the Met Receptor

Kyle E. Landgraf, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Early Discovery Biochemistry, Genentech, Inc.

4:20 Reception in the Exhibit Hall (Sponsorship Available)

5:20 Breakout Discussions in the Exhibit Hall 

Concurrent problem solving breakout discussions, open to all attendees, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors, provide a forum for discussing key issues and meeting potential collaborators. Plan to take part and explore these topics in-depth. Please pick a topic of your choice, find your table and join in.

 

Developing Antibody Drug Conjugates 

Moderator: Puja Sapra, Ph.D., Director, Bioconjugates, Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Biotherapeutics 

• Novel approaches to find targets 
• Novel payloads beyond tubulin inhibitors and DNA binders 
• Site specific conjugation approaches: Hope or hype 
• Precision medicine for ADCs: biomarker assays (IHCs, imaging, CTCs etc) 
• Investment in translational biology: from preclinical to clinic 
• Beyond whole antibody-drug conjugates: smaller fragments, other approaches 

 Technological Challenges with Antibody Drug Conjugates 

Moderator: Ho Sung Cho, Ph.D., Chief Technical Officer, Ambrx 

• Determining the best combination of warhead and target 
• Selection of right linker technology for the product 
• Ensuring uptake, internalization and activation of the product 
• Ensuring specificity to tumor cells and not normal ones 
• In vitro studies and in animal models
  • Selection of good predictive biomarkers 
  • Challenges with optimizing performance 
  • Challenges with toxicity 
   
• Challenges with characterization (heterogeneous) and comparability 

Challenges of Targeting Cancer Stem Cells 

Moderator: Norman J. Maitland, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Procure Therapeutics Ltd 

• How cancer stem cells differ from normal stem cells and other cancer cells 
• Approaches to the identification and evaluation of new cancer stem cell targets 
• Payloads that overcome the enhanced resistance of cancer stem cells 
• Issues to do with selection of animal model 
• Concerns to do with delivery and clearance 
• Potential safety issues 
• Strategy for entering clinical trials 
• Demonstration clinical benefit 

Measures to Improve ADC Linkers 

Moderator: Bob Lutz, Ph.D., VP, Translational R&D, ImmunoGen, Inc. 

• Development of payload and linker technology 
• Is linker stability the property of importance? 
• Impact of linker on the safety profile of the ADC 

Finding the Right Targets 

Moderator: Patrick A. Baeuerle, Ph.D., CSO, Senior Vice President, R&D, Micromet, Inc. 

• Targets for dual ligand or receptor blockers 
• How to select target combinations 
• Targets for T- or NK cell-engaging antibodies 
• How to achieve a therapeutic window 

Pre-clinical Assessment for Prediction of Clinical Success for Cancer Biologics 

Moderator: Gary Starling, Ph.D., Director, GPRD Discovery, Oncology Biologics, Abbott Biotherapeutics Corp. 

• Development of pre-clinical models to reflect the human tumour 
• Pre-clinical parameters that are translatable from animals to humans 
• Decision making based on pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies 
• Using PD biomarkers to determine dose 
• New tools to help translational research. 
• Phase one safety and tolerability 
• Regulatory Concerns 

6:20 Close of Day

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