8:00 am
Morning Networking Coffee
8:50 am
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Proposing the Role of Small Molecule, Cell Engager, Cell Therapy & Gene Therapy Modalities to Overcome Tissue-Specific Delivery Challenges in Autoimmunity
9:00 am Moving Beyond B Cell Depletion by Effector Function Mechanisms: Is Deep Tissue Depletion the Key?
Synopsis
- Understanding the therapeutic window and demonstrated B cell depletion in tissue for a range of B cell depleting therapies from IgG1 antibodies to CAR-T in autoimmune disease
- Demonstrating the potential for tissue B cell depletion by an IgM based T cell engager
- Discussing translational strategies to assess depth of B cell depletion and potential for long-term response in the clinic
9:30 am Preclinical Validation of Engineered B Cell Protein Factories: Emergent Applications
Synopsis
- Revealing Walking Fish’s next generation platform for efficient engineering and conditioning of B cells
- Advancing niche, specific engraftment to lead to persistant cargo production
- Understanding the potential of engineered B cell protein factories in a variety of therapeutic applications such as replacement therapy, oncology and autoimmune disease
10:00 am
Morning Networking Break
11:00 am Understanding the Antigen-Presenting Potential of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures to Facilitate Targeted Drug Development Strategies in MS
Synopsis
- Highlighting the role of tertiary lymphoid structures in the meningies of brains to propose their role in MS disease progression
- Revealing TLS-penetrating CAR-T cells in mouse models as a potential next generation targeted therapy in progressive MS
- Looking beyond in vivo mouse modeling to drive TLS-targeted CAR-T cells into the clinic
11:30 am Re-Imagining B Cell Directed Therapeutic Strategies to Achieve Differentiated Clinical Efficacy in the CNS
Synopsis
- Designing the next generation of BTK inhibitors to target CNS intrinsic B cell and microglia driven pathogenesis
- Evaluating the potential of BTK inhibition to achieve a specific therapeutic action & minimize off target effects
12:00 pm
Lunch Break
Assessing the Effect of the Inflammatory Response on Novel Cell Types in the B Cell Lineage to Reveal their Role in Autoimmune Disease Progression
1:00 pm TIM-1 Expression in B cells is Required for Maintaining Immune Tolerance
Synopsis
- Murine models with a deficiency of TIM-1 specifically in B cells developed spontaneous and significant inflammation in tissues, including the central nervous system as they aged
- In addition to producing IL-10, TIM-1 expressing B cells also highly express multiple other negative regulators, including TIGIT
- Murine models with a deficiency of TIGIT specifically in B cells developed spontaneous inflammation preferentially in the central nervous system as they aged
1:30 pm TIM-4 Identifies Pro-Inflammatory B Cells Expressing an IL-23-driven “Pro-Inflammatory Module
Synopsis
- In addition to generating antibodies, B cells can exhibit potent regulatory or pro-inflammatory activity that modulates immune responses in murine models and in humans
- TIM-4 identifies murine B cells that exhibit an IL-23 driven pro-inflammatory cytokine module that resembles that of pathogenic Th17 cells
- IL-17A produced by TIM-4+ B cells not only acts in pro-inflammatory capacity but acts as an autocrine factor to enforce their pro-inflammatory function and prevent conversion into regulatory B cells expressing IL-10
2:00 pm
Afternoon Break & Networking
3:00 pm Targeting Plasma Cells Secreting Pathogenic Antibodies
Synopsis
- Understanding long-lived plasma cells as an unmet pharmacological target in antibody-mediated diseases
- Addressing plasma cells globally by interfering with the mechanisms maintaining them
- Addressing pathogenic plasma cells selectively
3:50 pm Panel Discussion: Assessing Novel Cell Types Within the B Cell Lineage to Understand Their Therapeutic Potential in Autoimmunity
Synopsis
- Elucidating key biomarkers to help characterize B regulatory cells, plasma cells and B memory cells for therapeutic targeting
- Understanding the re-circulation potential of B memory cells to position their role in autoimmune response recall
- Suggesting optimal levels of re-circulation of different B cell types to refine antigen and tissue-specific drug development in autoimmunity