8:30 am Check-In & Networking

9:00 am Chairs Opening Remarks & Recap of Day One

Design & Properties of Small Format Drug Conjugates Exhibiting Therapeutic Utility for Improved Tissue Penetration & Enhanced Intracellular Delivery of Payloads

9:15 am A Novel Peptide Drug Conjugate Targeting the Scavenger Receptor Sortilin 1 That Exhibits Potent In Vivo Efficacy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Tumour Models

  • Francine Lui Director, Drug Discovery and Translational Sciences, ProteinQure Inc.

Synopsis

  • Explore the intricacies of peptide design tailored for optimal affinity to a specific antigen, ensuring precise targeting for therapeutic delivery
  • Investigate the mechanism of receptor-mediated internalisation, wherein peptide-bound receptors facilitate the uptake of chemotherapeutic payloads into target cells, enhancing therapeutic efficacy
  • Discover the transformative potential of peptide-conjugated chemotherapeutic agents in unlocking targeted therapies, offering new avenues for personalised treatment strategies in oncology and beyond

9:45 am Stabilising Peptides to Unlock New Dimensions in Precision Targeting for Cell Entry & Beyond

  • Ashley Taylor Senior Director - Chemistry and Manufacturing, Sutura Therapeutics

Synopsis

  • Stabilising the peptide’s alpha-helical structure, enhancing its rigidity and resistance to proteolytic degradation, which improves its ability to penetrate cell membranes
  • Achieving stabilisation through modifications such as hydrocarbon stapling or incorporating unnatural amino acids, helping to maintain structural integrity and functional activity inside the cell
  • Improving the peptide pharmacokinetic properties through the addition of hydrophilic groups and cyclic constraints, which reduce renal clearance and enhance the peptides’ stability in the bloodstream

10:15 am Morning Break & Networking

11:00 am Engineering Antibody Fragments for Enhanced Drug Load & Functionality: The Story of ANT-045, A cMET Targeting FDC

Synopsis

  • Explore the unique design features of Antikor’s Fragment-Drug Conjugates (FDCs) and learn about our FDC discovery platform, navigating the complexities of conjugating multiple payloads onto smaller antibody fragments, highlighting the importance of an optimised payload-linker
  • Delve into the discovery of Antikor’s lead FDC program (ANT-045) and how we have mitigated aggregation and optimised key properties like affinity, drug-loading, and pharmacokinetics to produce a novel, potent and well-tolerated drug for difficult solid tumours
  • Review the development of ANT-045 in advanced cMET models for tumour cure efficacy, safety and tolerability against Abbv-399, highlighting the benefits of increased tumour penetration that smaller-formats bring

11:30 am Advancing Antibody Fragment-Lipid Conjugates for Greater Therapeutic Targeting

  • Yuhong Xu Chief Scientific Officer, Highfield Biopharmaceuticals

Synopsis

  • Explore the development of antibody fragment-lipid conjugates, which utilise antibody fragments instead of full antibodies to create specialised lipid formulations. This flexibility allows for mix-and-match combinations tailored to specific therapeutic needs
  • Review the current pipeline, including the trastuzumab Fab-lipid conjugate TL01 and several different product formats under development based on it
  • Delve into the creation of multi-specific antibody conjugated liposomes. Highlight the unique mechanism of the liposomal T-cell engager and immune modulator under development, and potential benefits of the lipid carriers in cancer immunotherapy

12:00 pm Lunch & Networking

Transforming Targeted Therapy with Innovative Degrader & Radioisotope Payloads to Reach “Undruggable” Targets

1:00 pm Bi-XDC Platform: A Targeted Super Chemo-/RadioPharma Therapy & Beyond

  • Guitao Wang President of Research & Development, Coherent Biopharma

Synopsis

  • TAG-Display: a high throughput ligand discovery platform for bi-XDC
  • Research update of bi-XDCs delivering traditional toxin payload
  • Exploration of bi-XDCs delivering novel payload beyond toxin, e.g. PROTACs radioisotopes, and immune-regulators

1:30 pm From Bench to Bedside: The Story of CoreTag’s Targeted Radiotherapy

Synopsis

  • Exploring the discovery and development of CoreTags lead targeted radiopharmaceutical asset, and challenges in early development
  • Addressing preclinical challenges and showcasing strategies to overcome translational bottlenecks
  • Looking to the future: What is next for Core Tag?

2:00 pm Affilin® HER2 Targeted Radio-Conjugate

Synopsis

  • The importance of modulating organ distribution in radio-conjugates
  • Pipeline and technology to develop next generation radio-conjugates

Addressing Funding Challenges for Next-Generation Conjugates in Europe – Strategies & Approaches

2:30 pm Securing Buy-In from Pharma Partnerships and Investors

Synopsis

  • How can we effectively present proof of concept, pharmacokinetic (PK), and toxicity data to persuade conservative investors to fund next-generation conjugate projects in Europe?
  • Which specific metrics and evidence, such as efficacy data, market potential, or comparative advantages over existing therapies, are most persuasive for investors when considering funding for next-generation conjugates?
  • In what ways can collaborative ventures and strategic partnerships between academia, industry, and investors be leveraged to mitigate funding challenges and foster investment in the development of next-generation conjugates within Europe?

3:20 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks & Recap

3:30 pm End of Conference