Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Inaugural

Gamma Delta Immunotherapy

Exploiting and Enhancing Unique Properties for Cancer Treatment

20 - 21 June 2023 ALL TIMES BST

Cellular therapies are showing exciting potential for improved treatment of cancer, with gamma-delta T cells providing unique advantages for further development. Gamma-delta T cells represent up to 5% of a person’s T cell population, and higher levels of gamma-delta T cells within a tumor is strongly correlated with better prognosis and increased survival. Researchers are exploring a range of ways to take advantage of these properties and ways to enhance them for effective treatment. This includes broad antigen recognition, multivalent responses and the lack of MHC restrictions. These properties are being enhanced via different strategies for expansion, engineering and genetic modification to increase cytotoxicity or increased tumor-specific targeting. While much of the development in this field is still at preclinical stage an increasing number of products are entering the clinic with promising potential.

Tuesday, 20 June

Registration and Morning Coffee07:45

08:30

Chairperson's Remarks

John Maher, PhD, Consultant & Senior Lecturer, Immunology, Kings College London; CSO, Leucid Bio

FEATURED OVERVIEW

08:40

Engaging Gamma Delta T Cells for Cancer Therapy: Promises and Challenges

Paul Parren, PhD, CSO, Gyes; Professor, Molecular Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center

T cell-engagers represent an exciting avenue for designing novel cancer therapeutics. However, important challenges with respect to optimizing the therapeutic window remain. The utilization of gamma delta T cells, a subset of T cells with unique effector cell qualities, may provide a critical solution. An overview of both cell- and antibody-mediated approaches in the development of gamma delta T cell-based therapeutics will be presented.

ACTIVATION OF ENDOGENOUS AND EXPANSION OF UNMODIFIED GAMMA DELTA T CELLS

09:10

Induction and Mobilization of Endogenous Bispecific Gamma Delta TCR+ Invariant TCR+ Natural Killer T Cell-Like Cells in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Solid Tumor Patients

Theresa A. Deisher, PhD, President & CSO, R&D, AVM Biotechnology

Small molecule AVM0703 rapidly induces activation and mobilization of NKT-like cells expressing both gdTCR and invTCR (AVM_NKT). Anti-tumor effects are rapid, including activity against CNS tumors and extranodal lymphoma, disease sites associated with poor outcome to standard therapy, including CAR T cells. Preclinically, activity has been demonstrated against autoreactive T/B cells, immune-resistant lymphoma, xenografted human T-ALL, melanoma, and multiple myeloma. AVM0703 is also effective as neoadjuvant before chemoimmunotherapy or cell transplant.

09:40

EVICTION-2 Clinical Trial: Combining ImmunoCytokines and ICT1 to Expand Endogenous Gamma9Delta2 T Cells

Aude De Gassart, PhD, Director, Preclinical Research, Imcheck Therapeutics

ICT01, an anti-BTN3A mAb, selectively activates ?9d2 T cells resulting in remodeling of the tumor microenvironment. However, the pharmacodynamic effects of ICT01 are dependent on the number of circulating gamma9d2 T cells, which is low in most advanced cancer patients. Preclinical studies showed that ICT01 plus IL-2 induces selective expansion of gamma9d2 T cells with minimal Treg expansion supporting an ongoing Phase I/IIa (EVICTION-2) in patients with advanced-stage solid tumors.

10:10Breakout Discussions with Coffee Break

Breakout Discussions are informal, moderated discussions, allowing participants to exchange ideas and experiences and develop future collaborations around a focused topic. Each discussion will be led by a facilitator who keeps the discussion on track and the group engaged. To get the most out of this format, please come prepared to share experiences, be a part of a collective, problem-solving session, and participate in active idea sharing.  Please visit the Breakout Discussions page on the conference website for a complete listing of topics and descriptions.

IN-PERSON ONLY BREAKOUT:

Strategies for Engineering of Gamma Delta T Cell Constructs

Mariolina Salio, MD, Director, Experimental Immunology, Immunocore

H. Trent Spencer, PhD, President, Expression Therapeutics

  • Use of gene editing technology
  • Engineering of gamma delta-based TCRs
  • Creation of gamma delta fusion constructs​
11:10

Ex vivo Expanded Donor Gamma Delta T Cell Immunotherapy for Adverse-Risk AML

Nelli Bejanyan, Head, Blood & Marrow Transplant & Cellular Immunotherapy, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute

The role of gamma delta T cells in the control of AML after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation will be presented. Advances in large-scale artificial antigen-presenting cell-based ex vivo expansion of gamma delta cells for clinical use will be discussed. Study design and early results of the Phase 1 trial of donor γδ T cell infusion for treatment of adverse risk AML after allogeneic transplantation will also be covered.

11:40

CANCELLED: GMP-Grade Direct Expansion of Gamma Delta T Cells for Economical, High Scale, Consistent Allogeneic Application of Gamma Delta T Cells

Richard D. Lopez, Founder & CEO, PhosphoGam; Associate Professor, Hematologic Malignancies and Cell Therapy, Duke University

Conventional gamma/delta-T cell expansion relies on indirect technologies such as zoledronic acid. The lack of direct control over expansion results in high manufacturing variability, and low-scale. PhosphoGam direct expansion using synthetic phosphoantigens enables nanomolar control, consistent quality and 50,000x more efficient expansion than zoledronic acid.

12:10

SUPLEXA Platform for Reprogramming of Immune Cells for Treatment of Cancer

Frank Borriello, PhD, Scientific Founder & CEO, Alloplex Biotherapeutics, Inc.

SUPLEXA therapeutic cells represent a novel approach to adoptive cellular therapy involving the activation, differentiation, and expansion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to broadly target cancer while sparing normal tissues. 

  • An autologous cellular therapy comprised of multiple immune cell types including NK, NK-T, gd T cells, and ab CTL
  • Ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial safety and efficacy update
  • Summary of exploratory longitudinal PBMC and plasma analyses from treated patients suggests a potential approach to pharmacodynamic monitoring of SUPLEXA cell activity
  • The absence of drug-related adverse events facilitates future single-agent dose optimization efforts and plans for combination studies.

Enjoy Lunch on Your Own12:40

Session Break13:10

MODIFICATION AND ENGINEERING OF GAMMA DELTA CONSTRUCTS

13:55

Chairperson's Remarks

John Maher, PhD, Consultant & Senior Lecturer, Immunology, Kings College London; CSO, Leucid Bio

14:00

Cancer Immunotherapy Using TGF-b Educated Gamma Delta T Cells

John Maher, PhD, Consultant & Senior Lecturer, Immunology, Kings College London; CSO, Leucid Bio

We have developed a manufacturing technology in which peripheral blood-derived gamma delta T cells are expanded in the presence of TGF-beta, enhancing yield and intrinsic anti-tumour activity of these cells. In this presentation, we will demonstrate the utility of these cells as effectors of anti-tumour immunity and present mechanistic insight into the unique attributes of these cells.

14:30

Considerations Regarding Cellular Starting Materials for Cell-Based Immunotherapies

Enric Redondo Monte, PhD, Manager, Process Development & Innovation, Minaris Regenerative Medicine GmbH

Cellular starting materials are critical components to produce Cell Therapies. Amongst others, the appropriate donor, starting material specifications, procurement and logistics play a major role regarding the quality of the starting material and therefore can directly impact the success of the manufacturing process. All the above need to be considered to achieve high consistency, despite the challenge of the intrinsic biological donor-to-donor variability when using primary cellular material.

15:00 How the Innovate UK Cancer Therapeutics Funding Programme Accelerates the Delivery of Life-changing Immunotherapies

Jonathan Kwok, MD, PhD, CEO, Infinitopes

Karen Spink, PhD, Head of Medicines, Innovate UK

This session will introduce Innovate UK’s £30m bespoke funding programme for UK entrepreneurs delivering next-generation cancer therapies, with a focus on immunotherapies and paediatrics. We will also hear from an exciting startup, Infinitopes, who are being supported through this programme to pioneer high-efficiency cancer vaccines. The successful translation and commercialisation of medical discoveries will transform patient care and grow the UK’s position as a global science and technology superpower.

Refreshment Break with Exhibit and Poster Viewing15:30

16:10

Making Any Gene Targetable — The OMNI Panel of Novel Engineered Nucleases Answers Key Needs in Genome Editing

Tali Pechenick Jowers, PhD, Alliance Manager, Business Development, Emendo Biotherapeutics R&D Center

16:30

Gene-Edited Gamma Delta T Cells as a Platform for off-the-Shelf, Allogeneic CAR T and TCR T Therapy

Steffen Walter, PhD, CTO, Immatics

Allogeneic gamma delta (Gd) T cells bear promises for developing off-the-shelf T cell therapies for cancer through leveraging their unique functional attributes. Gd T cell therapy development requires precise balancing between anti-tumor armoring and cloaking against the patient's immune cells. Immatics is building on its expertise in TCR-based tumor targeting and adoptive T cell therapies to develop such product candidates via our proprietary ACTallo platform through data-driven gene engineering and highly optimized manufacturing.

17:00

Bispecific Gamma Delta T Cell Engagers as Novel Treatments for Cancer

Paul Parren, PhD, CSO, Gyes; Professor, Molecular Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center

LAVA Therapeutics’ Gammabody platform is designed to engage Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells for selective tumor cell killing, while non-transformed cells expressing the target are spared. Two programs, one in hematology and one in solid cancer, have progressed to clinical development. The presentation will address the lead candidate selection as well as our progress to the clinic.

Welcome Reception with Exhibit and Poster Viewing17:30

Close of Day18:30

Wednesday, 21 June

Registration and Morning Coffee08:00

ENGINEERING OF GAMMA DELTA CONSTRUCTS

08:30

Chairperson's Remarks

Mariolina Salio, MD, Director, Experimental Immunology, Immunocore

08:35

Gamma Delta Cell Therapies Coming of Age

Jeff Liter, CEO & Founder, Luminary Therapeutics

As many cell therapy companies work to bring allogeneic cell therapies into reality there are a few pioneers utilizing a lesser-known T cell sub-type called gamma delta cells as their approach of choice. This talk will cover the different types of allogeneic approaches and why Luminary believes that gamma delta cells will shine in comparison to other methods.

09:05

Initiating a Phase I Gamma Delta T Cell Trial for Neuroblastoma and Strategies to Enhance Anti-Neuroblastoma Effectiveness by Genetic Engineering

H. Trent Spencer, PhD, President, Expression Therapeutics

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common cancer in infants and represents approximately 15% of cancer-related deaths. We initiated a Phase I study using allogeneic ex vivo expanded gamma delta (?d) T cells for relapsed NB (NCT05400603), and have extended the ?d T cell platform to include proprietary cell-specific transgene expression vector designs and gene transfer systems for eBite expression, which generate our Allogeneic Donor Expanded and Programmed T (ADEPT) cells.

09:35

Expanding the ImmTAX Platform to Gamma Delta T Cell Targets

Mariolina Salio, MD, Director, Experimental Immunology, Immunocore

ImmTAC molecules are TCR-anti CD3 bispecific fusion proteins that can redirect and activate polyclonal T cells to kill tumors in an MHC-restricted manner, representing a novel class of anti-cancer drugs with activity in solid tumors. To overcome the limitations of MHC restriction, we are expanding the ImmTAC platform to gd TCRs targeting monomorphic unconventional antigen presenting molecules. The challenges of targeting non-peptidic ligands will be discussed, alongside our current understanding of the ImmTACs mechanism of action.

10:05

Engineering Next-Generation Antibodies for Breast Cancer Therapy

Alicia Chenoweth, PhD, Research Associate, Cancer Antibody Discovery & Immunotherapy, Kings College London

We are developing next-generation antibodies, such as Fc-engineered antibodies with enhanced immune function or antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), for the treatment of breast cancer. Our lab has developed a novel ADC against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) which greatly restricts growth of human TNBC xenograft tumours in vivo. We have also engineered novel Fc-enhanced antibodies against HER2-positive breast cancer and TNBC which induce significantly greater direct cell killing by antibody-dependent NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and reprogramming of macrophages towards a more pro-inflammatory, anti-tumoural phenotype.

Coffee Break with Exhibit and Poster Viewing10:35

PLENARY KEYNOTE SESSION

11:10

Chairperson's Remarks

Dario Neri, PhD, CEO and CSO, Philogen

11:20

The Renaissance of T Cell-Directed Therapies: A New Chapter of Precision Immune-Oncology

Zhen Su, MD, MBA, CEO, Marengo Therapeutics

Over the past decade, cancer immunotherapy has transformed millions of lives around the world who are living/fighting cancer. This wave of therapies including ICI, TCE, and CAR T has also created fertile grounds for novel biological insights and technical breakthroughs to spark the renaissance of therapeutic innovation. Furthermore, this field has attracted multidisciplinary expertise and talents to bring their bright mind and dedication to co-create the next wave of IO.

11:55

Lessons from Success: What Can Patients Teach Us Following Complete Remission of Solid Cancer?

Andrew Sewell, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor and Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine

We have employed three different successful pipelines for discovering what so-called “orphan T cells” recognize and applied these to dissect what dominant persistent anti-cancer T cells recognize during successful immunotherapy for solid cancer. This work has uncovered a new, unanticipated, mode of T cell recognition. I will discuss these results and how they point to potentially exploitable correlates of success.

12:30 LUNCHEON PRESENTATION:Customizable Cell Line Platform for in vitro Assessment of Safety and Efficacy of Immune Cell-Directed Therapies

Agapitos Patakas, PhD, CSO, Research & Development, Antibody Analytics

We present a customizable cell line platform, enabling fine titratable control of expression of antigens over a large dynamic range and its employment in determining the impact of antigen expression on the safety and efficacy of antibody-based therapeutics and T cell therapies. We determine activation thresholds of immune cell-directed therapies and discuss the possibility of using the system as a tool to assess the potential of “on-target, off-tumor” side-effects.  

13:00Session Break
13:45

Organoid Cellular Cancer Immunity Models in Motion

Anne Rios, PhD, Principal Investigator, Princess Maxima Center Pediatric Oncology

Dr. Anne Rios will present BEHAV3D a next-generation single cell imaging-transcriptomics technology that captures the highly dynamic nature and functional heterogeneity of cellular immunotherapies (Dekkers, Alieva et al. Nature Biotech. 2022). Using patient-derived organoid biobanks, this platform offers a unique resolution into the dynamic sequence of solid tumor targeting and exploits T cell dynamics to enhance therapy response. Thus, BEHAV3D holds promise for improving solid tumor targeting at patient population scale.

14:20

Overcoming the Limitations of Aldesleukin and Biased IL-2Rbg Agonists by PD-1 cis-Targeting of IL2v with the PD1-IL2v Immunocytokine

Christian Klein, PhD, Head, Oncology Programs and Department Head, Cancer Immunotherapy Discovery, Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharma Research & Early Development, pRED

PD1-IL2v is a novel PD-1 cis-targeted immunocytokine with the ability to differentiate stem-like CD8+ T cells into better effectors in the absence of CD25 binding. In both chronic infection and cancer models PD1-IL2v provides superior efficacy as compared to the combination of PD-1 inhibition with bg-biased IL-2R agonists. These findings bear major implications for the development of the next-generation of IL-2 therapies.

14:55Refreshment Break with Exhibit and Poster Viewing

Close of Gamma Delta Immunotherapy Conference15:30






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Modulating the Tumour Microenvironment