7:30 am
MORNING REFRESHMENTS & CHECK IN
8:25 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
SHOWCASING IN VIVO MODELS OF NEUROINFLAMMATION TO TRANSFORM TRANSLATABILITY
8:30 am Leveraging Rodent Models of Neurological Indications to Improve Understanding of Neuroimmunology Pathology Progression
Synopsis
• Assessing translatability of immune response in the brain between rodent models and humans
• Selecting activating agents to model inflammatory pathways of interest
• Developing a standardized experimental approach for in vivo preclinical assessments for neuroinflammation
9:00 am Crossing the Species Barrier: Developing Humanized Rodent Models to Optimize Transability into the Clinic
Synopsis
• Developing a rodent model with xenotransplanted human cells to investigate neuroimmunology targets of interest
• Assessing chimeric cell functionality in model development
• Utilizing humanized rodent models to identify the contribution of human microglia to neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis and advance microglia as a therapeutic target
9:30 am Roundtable Discussion: Contrasting the Best Neuroimmunology In Vitro & In Vivo Models to Maximize Translation into the Clinic
Synopsis
With a plethora of different in vitro and in vivo models of differing development and recapitulation complexity, understanding which models achieve the required complexity is crucial to maximizing the likelihood of successful translation. Join tables led by neuroimmunology preclinical model leaders to debate phenotype recapitulation complexity, time to develop, and translatability.
10:15 am
MORNING BREAK & NETWORKING
PROBING GLIAL BIOLOGY TO SUPERCHARGE TARGET IDENTIFICATION & FUNCTIONAL UNDERSTANDING
10:45 am Targeting TREM2 with Small Molecule Agonists to Modulate Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease
Synopsis
• Highlighting TREM2 agonist ability to modulate inflammation in neurological indications
• Investigating TREM2 biology to identify the best stage of intervention
• Outlining model development and biomarker strategy to optimize translation into the clinic
11:15 am Panel Discussion: Identifying Targets to Simultaneously Tackle Neuroinflammation & Neurodegeneration
Synopsis
• Debating targets impacting both neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration: RIPKI, ferroptosis, TDP43
• Discussing strategy for targeting two pathological processes simultaneously
• Outlining opportunities to de-risk future clinical trials
• Debating the future of neuroinflammation modulators as combination therapies in light of recent Alzheimer’s Disease therapeutic approvals
11:45 am Characterizing & Targeting Ferroptosis in Neurodegenerative Disease
Synopsis
• Robust preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that ferroptotic-mediated cell death contributes to neurodegenerative disease
• Inhibition of 15-lipoxygenase to prevent ferroptosis addresses primary drivers of disease progression including, accumulation of lipid peroxides, redox imbalance, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss
• Mitigation of lipid peroxidation also serves to address alpha-Synuclein pathology in vitro and in vivo
12:15 pm
LUNCH & NETWORKING
1:15 pm Unlocking Therapeutic Potential: Exploring Cereblon Modulators for Anti-Neuroinflammatory Effects in Neurological Disorders & Drug Discovery
Synopsis
• Immunomodulatory Imide Drugs (IMiDs) shows promising results in preclinical models of neurological disorders
• The therapeutic potentials of IMiDs is currently gaining attention in the field of neuroinflammation due to their diverse biological actions through cereblon.
• The strategic modulation of target protein stability is a fundamental aspect of the drug discovery approach to address neuroinflammation
1:45 pm TRANSMAB:PD-L1 – a Novel Therapeutic Strategy Targeting Reactive Astrocytes & Glial Checkpoint in Alzheimer’s Disease
Synopsis
• Outlining the role of GFAP+ astrocytes in the neuroinflammatory cascade in neurodegeneration
• Exploring PD-L1+ GFAP+ astrocyte and PD-1+ microglia as a glial checkpoint and a potential novel therapeutic target against Alzheimer’s Disease
• Showcasing TRANSMAB:PD-L1 antibody ability to cross the BBB, reduce GFAP, and improve pathological outcome in preclinical AD models
2:15 pm Characterizing the Role of the Inflammasome in Neuroinflammation to Discover Targets Against Neurological Disorders
Synopsis
• Explaining the significance of inflammasome activation in the brain
• Investigating the role of inflammasome pathways in neuroimmune cell activation
• Exploring inflammasome targets against neuroinflammation in progressive degenerative age-diseases
2:45 pm
AFTERNOON BREAK & NETWORKING
OVERCOMING THE BBB & EXPLORING ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY FUNCTION IN NEUROIMMUNOLOGY PATHOLOGY
3:15 pm Developing Antibodies Targeting LILRB2/TREM2 in Alzheimer’s Disease
Synopsis
• Discussing the molecular mechanisms of LILRB2-mediated inhibition of TREM2 signaling in microglia
• Developing LILRB2 antagonist antibodies as a novel therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s disease
• Engineering tetravalent TREM2 agonistic antibodies as potential therapies for Alzheimer’s disease
3:45 pm Adaptive Immunity Contributes to the Progressive Pathology of Multiple Sclerosis: Implications for Clinical Development
Synopsis
• Progression Independent of Relapse Activity (PIRA) – what it is and why it matters.
• Meningeal aggregates in MS – stable, pathogenic, resistant to current therapies
• Imaging shows, for the first time, tissue injury associated with CNS compartmentalized progressive pathology of MS