PLENARY KEYNOTE SESSION
WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH
11:15 Organizer’s Remarks
Ngoc ‘Emily’ Le, PhD, Conference Producer, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
11:20 Chairperson’s Remarks
Andrew Sewell, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor and Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator, Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine
11:30 Strategies to Improve Antitumor Efficacy of Genetically Engineered T Cells
Stanley Riddell, MD, Scientific Director, Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine
Immune cells can be readily genetically modified to express natural tumor targeting antigen receptors or synthetic chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that activate immune cell signaling pathways to result in destruction of tumor cells expressing the relevant target molecule. The presentation will discuss advances in our understanding of receptor signaling and the development of strategies that combine therapeutic agents to improve efficacy and safely extend the spectrum of cancers that can be treated with cell therapies.
12:00 PD-1 Antibodies Are Transforming Cancer Treatment
Roy D. Baynes, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Head, Global Clinical Development, CMO, Merck Sharpe & Dohme
PD-1 antibodies have shown significant activity as monotherapy across multiple cancer types and lines of therapy. Precision medicine tools have been used to identify subjects most likely to respond to PD-1 antibody monotherapy, to provide insight to potential resistance mechanisms, and to inform combination therapies. A number of these combinations have demonstrated significant activity in additional tumor types and lines of therapy.
Speaker Biography
Stanley Riddell, MD, Scientific Director, Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine
Dr. Stan Riddell is a world leader in developing immunotherapies, which harness the power of the immune system to fight cancers and dangerous infections. His research focuses on detailing the complex biology of immune cells called T cells and pioneering therapies that use genetically reprogrammed T cells to specifically recognize and destroy diseased cells. These therapeutic T cells zero in on specific protein targets known as antigens, using either natural molecules called T-cell receptors or synthetic molecules called chimeric antigen receptors. Chimeric antigen receptors, also known as CARs, combine elements from T-cell receptors and from other immune cell-produced antibody molecules. His team’s breakthroughs are helping researchers make progress for patients who need better therapies.
Roy D. Baynes, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Head, Global Clinical Development, CMO, Merck Sharpe & Dohme
Dr. Roy D. Baynes, M.D., Ph.D., serves as Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer at Merck Research Laboratories. Prior to Merck, Dr. Baynes served as Senior Vice President of Oncology, Inflammation and Respiratory Therapeutics and Senior Vice President of Oncology Therapeutics at Gilead Sciences Inc. Prior, Dr. Baynes was Vice President of Global Clinical Development and Head of Hematology & Oncology at Amgen Inc., after serving as Vice President of Oncology for Supportive Care. Before joining Amgen in 2002, he was the Head Professor of Cancer Research and director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program and the Hematological Malignancies Multidisciplinary Clinic at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, a comprehensive cancer center at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. There, he also held the positions of Professor of Medicine and Professor of Oncology. Dr. Baynes has been an Independent Director of Retrophin, Inc. since 2016. Dr. Baynes has authored more than 150 publications and is a member or fellow of several international medical societies. He is a member or fellow of several medical societies and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. Dr. Baynes received his medical degree and doctorate in philosophy from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and completed his medical training in the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Johannesburg Hospital. He has had a long and distinguished career in the hematology-oncology-and stem cell transplantation fields, including drug development, basic research, clinical practice, clinical research, teaching and administration. He is a member of many international societies, including the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and has been recurrently named among America’s top physicians.