Conference Day One

Wednesday, 26th February

7.30 Check-In & Morning Coffee

8:30 am Welcome from the Programme Director

8:35 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Moving With the Field: Exploring the Way Forward to Turbocharge Cell Therapy Development & Be the Best in Class

8:45 am Industry Leaders Fireside Chat: Exploring the Different Approaches to Cell Therapy Development to Gain a Holistic Overview of the Field

Synopsis

  • Discussing exciting developments like approvals and commercialisations of TIL and TCR therapies for solid tumours and what it means for the field
  • Looking towards gamma delta cells, NK cells, TIL therapies and more to target multiple autoimmune and cancer indications
  • Identifying novel approaches to cell therapy development

9:30 am Unleashing the Promise of Cell Therapy for Cancer & Autoimmune Diseases

  • Cokey Nguyen President & Chief Executive Officer, Atara Biotherapeutics

Synopsis

  • Highlight how Atara is innovating next-generation CAR-Ts with the only allogeneic T-cell platform with an approved product
  • Focus on how EBV T-cell biology and novel CAR technologies can address the current limitations of autologous and other allogeneic CAR approaches
  • Describe ATA3219, Atara’s allogeneic CAR-T targeting CD19, for the potential treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and NHL

10.00 Morning Networking Break

Track A: Discovery
Track A: Discovery

Exploring Novel T-Cell Engineering Techniques to Improve Cell Fitness & Durability

Chair: to be Confirmed

11:30am: Engineering CAR-T Cells to Thrive in Hostile Tumour Microenvironments

  • Potency-enhancing vs TME suppression-preventing edits in CAR-T cells
  • AI-driven optimisation of synergistic gene editing combinations for TME resistance
  • Developing GBM-targeted CAR-T iterative design from bedside insights to bench solutions

Aaron Edwards, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, KiraGen Bio

12:00pm: Group Discussion: Triple Engineered T-Cells: Are They the Answer to Improved Durability & Persistence?

  • Understanding what triple engineered T-cells are
  • Analysing how triple engineering can improve durability and persistence
  • Exploring what each step of engineering entails

12:30pm: Panel Discussion: Screening Through Multiple Armouring Technologies to Find the One Fit for Your Purpose

  • Identifying the different armouring technologies
  • Understanding how each technology differs and how to select the appropriate one
  • Matching the required armouring technology to your cell therapy product

Peggy Sotiropoulou, Chief Scientific Officer, T-Knife Therapeutics

Raphaël Ognar, President & Chief Executive Officer, NKILT Therapeutics

Rudolf Ãœbelhart, Chief Scientific Officer, Vanudis

1.00 Networking Lunch

2:00pm: Gene-Edited, Multi-Armoured TCR-T Cells: The Answer to Improved Durability & Persistence

  • Understanding the challenges of T-cell therapy for solid tumours
  • Analysing how multi-armoured TCR-T cells can improve durability and persistence
  • Exploring how gene-editing contributes to efficacy and safety

Peggy Sotiropoulou, Chief Scientific Officer, T-knife Therapeutics

2:30pm: Group Discussion: Exploring Novel Combination Therapies Such as Checkpoint Blockades & Chemotherapy to Circumvent Tumour Defence Mechanisms & Improve CAR-T Efficacy

  • Understanding how to go about combining checkpoint blockades with CAR-T cell therapy
  • Analysing the dosing levels for chemotherapy and CAR-T cells when used in conjunction with each other
  • Exploring how using combination therapy can help avoid tumour defence mechanisms

3:00pm: AND-Logic Gated Virus-Like Particle for In Vivo CD4+ & CD8+ T-Cell Targeting with Reduced Liver Off Target

  • In vivo CAR-T
  • Highly CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells selective virus-like particles
  • AND-logic gated mechanism for selective payload delivery

Marc Güell, ICREA Research Professor, University Pompeau Fabra

3:30pm: Session Reserved for Nona Bio

Nona Biosciences

3.40 Afternoon Networking Break

Highlighting Different Cell Types & Their
Advantages to Target Different Disease
Indications & Increase Cell Therapy Efficacy

4:40pm: Overcoming Tumour Heterogeneity with MAGE-A4 Specific TCR-NK Cells: Development of Lead Product ZIMA4-1

• Leveraging dual targeting of TCR-NK cells to potently attack heterogenous solid tumour cells

• Avoiding tumour escape mechanisms

• Delivering an allogeneic off-the shelf NK cell therapy

Luise Weigand, Head of Research, Zelluna Immunotherapy

5:10pm: A Stem Cell-Derived Vδ1 CAR γδ T-Cell Platform for Haematological & Solid Tumour Malignancies

  • Vδ1 γδ T-cells have some distinct advantages over other cell types for tumour immunotherapy but are difficult to source in high numbers
  • We are developing a platform technology to generate highly functional Vδ1 γδ T-cells in high numbers from stem cells
  • The cells have shown high levels of activity in T-ALL models, which is further enhanced by a dual-CAR against T-ALL specific antigens

Stefanos Theroharis, Chief Executive Officer, OneChain Immunotherapeutics

5:40pm: Development of Effective TIL Therapy for Solid Tumours

  • Tumour microenvironment affects the response to first generation TIL in melanoma
  • TIL dynamics upon expansion and adoptive transfer
  • TIL reprogramming upon expansion

George Coukos, Director, Department of Oncology, University of Lausane

6.10 Tracks Close

Track B: Clinical Development
Track C: CMC, Process & Analytics

6.15 Drinks Reception & Scientific Poster Session

7:15 pm End of Scientific Programme Day One

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