7:30 am
MORNING REFRESHMENTS & CHECK IN
8:25 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
SPEARHEADING CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT TO ACCELERATE NEXT GENERATION NEUROIMMUNOLOGY THERAPIES IN 2024
8:30 am Spotlighting Clinical Trials of TREM2 Agonists Against Alzheimer’s Disease
Synopsis
• Overviewing the on-going clinical landscape of TREM2 therapeutics
• Detailing currently employed biomarkers – what they are and what reveal
• Outlining high-level modality considerations for rare vs common neurodegenerative diseases
• Making the case for precision-based clinical development
9:00 am Clinical Development of AL002, a Monoclonal Antibody Activating TREM2 Signaling Against Alzheimer’s Disease
Synopsis
• Outlining rationale for TREM2 agonism for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Exploring target engagement and treatment effects on microglial function
• Evaluating safety and efficacy assessments
9:30 am NULISA: Ultra-sensitive & Multiplex Immunoassay Platform for Fluid Biomarkers in CNS Disease
Synopsis
- New biomarker assay technology, NULISA™ – with ultra-sensitive femtogram level detection with proprietary background suppression technology
- Unique NULISA CNS Disease Panel detecting nearly 120 critical biomarkers covering diverse neurological diseases
- Ultra-sensitive NULISA technology holds great promise to enable early detection and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases to aid in new therapeutic development.
10:00 am
SPEED NETWORKING
Synopsis
As the neuroimmunology community reunites in-person, this session is a great opportunity to introduce yourself to neuroimmunology and neuroinflammation experts across leading drug developer biopharma. Enjoy face-to-face time with many of the brightest minds capturing the main challenges and changes in the neuroimmunology field to reconnect with peers and establish new and meaningful collaborative relationships
10:30 am
MORNING BREAK & NETWORKING
SUPERCHARGING IN VITRO MODELS TO ASSESS NEUROIMMUNE TARGET IMPACT ON DISEASE PHENOTYPES
11:00 am Leveraging iPSC-derived Microglia for Screening & Investigation of Targets Against Neuroinflammation
Synopsis
• Quality control and assay development of iPSC-derived microglia platform
• Review and comparison of published iPSC-derived microglia differentiation protocols
• Challenges and future direction: high throughput and customize
11:30 am Developing iPSC Microglia Functional Models to Interrogate Target Impacts of Neurodegenerative Phenotypes
Synopsis
• Outlining development of microglia functional models in culture systems to characterize different disease phenotypes
• Using gene expression, transcriptomic readouts, phagocytosis, and cytokine release phenotypes to assess inputs in microglia function in neurodegeneration
• Interrogating targets to investigate impact on disease phenotypes
12:00 pm Utilizing Human iPSC-Derived Neural Cells for Drug Discovery
Synopsis
- Summarizing BrainXell’s iPSC products and services
- Detailing information about our control and disease microglia
- Review of other cell types: neurons, astrocytes, and endothelial cells
12:10 pm Embracing Genetic Diversity of iPSC-based Neuroinflammation Models for Robust Drug Discovery
Synopsis
• Developing iPSC panels to account for distinct disease origins and diverse patient genomic background in drug discovery
• Leveraging data on protective genomic variants to bolster prioritization of therapeutically relevant disease modifiers
• Catalyzing discovery of neuroinflammation modulators for neurodegeneration using therapeutic oligonucleotides
12:40 pm
LUNCH & NETWORKING
DEVELOPING CO-CULTURE & BRAIN ORGANOIDS TO RECAPITULATE COMPLEX NEUROINFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENTS
1:45 pm Developing Robust 3D Cultures to Establish Complex In Vitro Neuroinflammatory Environments
Synopsis
• Developing robust protocols of integrated neuroimmune and neurovascular units in 3D in vitro models
• Assessing co-culture capabilities to recapitulate neuroimmunology microenvironment and elicit desired disease phenotypes
• Probing readouts of interactions and functions amongst neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and brain vasculature
2:15 pm Characterization of a Systems Biology Platform Incorporating Human Microglia with Rodent Neurons & Astrocytes
Synopsis
- Outlining development of chimeric culture system where hiPSC microglia robustly respond to inflammatory stimuli
- Demonstrating functional and morphological effects of microglia-dependent inflammation using cytokine release, neuronal function and high content imaging assays
- Platform that recapitulates neuroinflammation systems biology amenable for neuroinflammatory compound screening
2:25 pm Leveraging Immunocompetent Brain Organoids to Investigate Remyelination & Neuroinflammation
Synopsis
• Developing immunocompetent brain organoids by incorporating iPSC-derived microglia
• Conducting parallel safety and efficacy readouts
• Utilizing brain organoids for biomarker evaluation in drug screening
2:55 pm
AFTERNOON BREAK & NETWORKING
PIONEERING NEUROINFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS TO OPTIMIZE PATIENT IDENTIFICATION & MONITOR DISEASE PROGRESSION
3:30 pm Panel Discussion: Discussing the Current Status of Neuroinflammatory Biomarkers & Existing Obstacles to Overcome in Neuroimmunology
Synopsis
• Outlining the challenges of using fluid and CSF biomarkers to determine efficacy against neuroinflammation from remote sites of action
• Discussing emerging and established imaging tools for neuroinflammation in neurological indications
• Explaining the need for longitudinal samples to assist in biomarker validation and reliability in the clinic
• How does the recent accepted use of NfL as a surrogate endpoint in ALS impact the neuroimmunology field?
4:00 pm ioMicroglia: Revolutionizing Neurodegenerative Disease Drug Development
Synopsis
- See characterisation and functional data on precision reprogrammed hiPSC-derived ioMicroglia that show phagocytosis and cytokine secretion within days, enabling consistent, rapid and physiologically relevant results
- Discover how ioDisease models for late-onset Alzheimer’s allow precise identification of disease-related effects when compared with genetically matched ioWild Type Cells
- Gain insights into CRISPR-Ready ioMicroglia, offering scalable and consistent CRISPR screens for drug target discovery in physiologically relevant human cell types
4:15 pm Showcasing Early Discovery of Biomarkers Against TREM2 for Alzheimer’s Disease
Synopsis
• Detailing molecular investigations to identify TREM2 pathway-implicated biomarkers in pre-clinical models
• Assessing biomarker use for monitoring efficacy of anti-inflammatory therapies
• Translatable biomarker development efforts to predict and identify neuroinflammation progression in neurodegeneration
4:45 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks
4:45 pm
Scientific Poster Session & Drinks Reception:
Synopsis
This session is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and your work to experts across leading neuroimmunology biopharma. In an informal setting, unwind and enjoy face-to-face time with many of the brightest minds in the field, displaying scientific posters capturing the main advancements and challenges across discovery, preclinical, translational, and early clinical neuroimmunology drug development