Conference Day 2

Day One

Day Two

Opening Session: Developing Targeted Combinatorial Therapy Strategy for the Treatment of Head & Neck Cancer

9.00 am | Networking Coffee

9:30 am Opening Remarks from Chair

9:45 am Randomized Phase II Trial of Ficlatuzumab with or Without Cetuximab in Pan-refractory, Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

Synopsis

  • Acts by blocking the HGF/cMet Pathway known to mediate resistance to EGFR blockade
  • The objective response rate for the combination of 38% in HPV negative patients
  • Combination well tolerated

10:15 am The BURAN Study of Buparlisib (AN2025) in Combination with Paclitaxel Compared to Paclitaxel Alone, in Patients with Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Synopsis

  • Buparlisib (AN2025) is a 2,6-dimorpholino pyrimidine derivative oral pan-class I PI3K inhibitor. The PI3K signaling pathway is one of the most frequently altered pathways in HNSCC
  • Results suggest that buparlisib in combination with paclitaxel could be an effective treatment following the failure of platinum-based chemotherapy

Emerging Immunotherapies to Target Head & Neck Cancers

10:45 am Cancer Immunotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer: Current Status and Future Opportunities

  • Jon Wigginton Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board and Senior Advisor, Cullinan Oncology

Synopsis

  • Exciting new advances have been made in the application of cancer immunotherapy for the treatment of head and neck cancer, including strategies encompassing both innate and adaptive immunity.
  • This presentation will assess the current state of the field, key questions and future opportunities for cancer immunotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer

11:15 am PVSRIPO, a Novel Intratumoral Viral Immunotherapy, Generates a Robust Immune Response in the Tumor Microenvironment to Yield Systemic Anti-Tumor Efficacy

Synopsis

  • PVSRIPO is a genetically modified type 1 oral poliovirus (PV) vaccine and engages CD155 (PV receptor and the ligand for TIGIT) on malignant cells and antigen-presenting cells (APC) in the tumor microenvironment (TME)
  • Preclinically, PVSRIPO has demonstrated oncolytic activity in multiple tumor types, and a unique non-lethal infection of APCs leads to substantial innate immune activation and a robust polyfunctional CD8+ T cell anti-tumor response, which is potentiated by adaptive anti-PV memory CD4+ T cells from prior vaccination
  • This unique engagement of the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system ultimately results in systemic anti-tumor immunity, which is being evaluated in clinical trials in breast, melanoma, recurrent glioblastoma, bladder, and H&N cancers +/- immune checkpoint inhibitors

11.45 pm | Networking Break

Developing a Clinical Program for Targeted Therapy in Head and Neck Tumors

12:15 pm Development of ASP-1929 Illuminox, a New EGFR Targeted Therapy for the Treatment of Advanced HNSCC

Synopsis

  • ASP-1929 is an anti-EGFR mAb conjugated with a small molecule, based on the Illuminox platform, that can be activated at the tumor site to induce targeted cancer cell killing
  • Illuminox treatments can induce immunogenetic cells death and activate anti-cancer immunity
  • ASP-1929 has been recently approved for commercialization by the PMDA in Japan to treat advanced refractory HNSCC
  • ASP-1929 is being developed in registration phase 3 studies in the USA in HNSCC and in phase 2 studies to treat other EGFR expressing cancer types

12:45 pm Differentiation-paired targeted therapy to improve outcomes in heterogenous head and neck cancer.

  • Cherbel Darido Group Leader and Laboratory Head, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Synopsis

  • A multi-omic approach identified a functional GRHL3-FLG tumor specific differentiation axis
  • Disruption of this axis confers resistance to PI3K/AKT/mTOR and c-MYC inhibitors
  • The GRHL3-FLG axis may serve as a predictive prognostic and response biomarker to targeted therapy in the clinic

1:15 pm MC-30, a Targeted MicroRNA Therapy Inhibiting RTK Signalling and Drug Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer

Synopsis

  • miR-30-5p is a critical tumor suppressor in a subset of head and neck cancers targeting multiple receptor tyrosine kinase pathways
  • Genetic loss is associated with increased recurrence and poor outcomes
  • MC-30 a novel targeted therapy mimicking the natural miR-30 gene can reduce drug resistance and may extend progression-free survival

1.45 pm | Networking Lunch Break

Emerging Cellular Immunotherapies to Tackle Head & Neck Cancer

3:00 pm Fireside Chat: An Update on Novel Cellular Immunotherapies to Tackle Head and Neck Cancer

Synopsis

  • Sharing rationale for targeting neoantigens for anti-tumor vaccination
  • Summarizing therapeutic development of neoantigen vaccination for oncology to date
  • Overview results of neoantigen vaccination application for H&N tumors
  • Outlining next steps to optimize neoantigen vaccination for head and neck tumors

3:30 pm Chair’s closing remarks

3.45 pm | End of Conference

DAY ONE
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