NK Cell Webinar
Untangling NK Cell Therapy Approaches - A Mastermind
With the steadily expanding range of innate cell therapies; spanning iNKT, NKT, NK, iPSC-derived NK, varying donor sources for allogeneic NK cells, and most recently a TCR-NK in collaboration with Katy Rezvani’s lab, it felt important to take stock of this expanding field and appreciate the subtle differences between different sources of NK cells.
The 8th Innate Killer Summit therefore hosted a free-to-attend 2-hour webinar to map the commonalities that NKs share across varying sources, and to highlight the distinct features of each. Informed by presentations and panel discussion from industry leaders at the likes of Senti Biosciences, Century Therapeutics, Glycostem, and the Washington University School of Medicine, attendees left this webinar with an understanding of different cell sources, direction on how to choose their cell sources, and an overview of opportunities to de-risk cell types with novel approaches.
It felt remiss not to acknowledge the headwinds impacting the cell therapy field at present, and with pipeline restructuring prevalent in the NK space, we explored and weighed up the importance of NKs as an allogeneic approach, and the market forces impacting progress in 2023.
This webinar was an open to attend opportunity to hear exclusive insights from industry leaders, and get up to speed on NK cell sources and pipeline trends in 2023.
Webinar Agenda - March 14, 2023
8:00am - Introduction & Background to Webinar
- Outlining the key developments so far in NK therapy, current market dynamics, and what the data says
- Discussing the key features drug developers look for as you grow your pipeline, and how that can influence asset decisions
- Highlighting the need for a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the field
- Addressing ‘sticking points’ in external communications, and how to work together to lift all ships with the rising tide
Kanya Rajangam, CMDO, Senti Biosciences
8:10am - Reviewing Pipelines to Track NK Cell Sources in Development & Where They ‘Find Their Niche’
Flavio Lima Bianchi, Research Analyst, Beacon |
8:20am - Interrogating the Biology, Development, & Application of Cord Blood NK Cells
- Reviewing the known characteristics and biology of cord blood NK cells
- Supercharging cord blood NKs to target solid and liquid cancers
- Highlighting pivotal data and new developments in safety, cytotoxicity, and clinical delivery
Jan Spanholtz, CSO, Glycostem
8:40am - Assessing Peripheral Blood Derived NK Cells as an Off-the-Shelf, Decentralized Cell Therapy Platform
Philip Lee, CTO, Senti Biosciences |
9:00am - Where Next for iPS-Derived NKs? How Will the Field Progress, & What does the Data Tell Us So Far?
- Reviewing the process of iPSC manufacturing, developing master cell banks, and discussing the clonal nature of iPSC banks
- Implementing multiple precision edits to cell banks and testing them in the clinic
- Highlighting the differentiating factors between iPSCs, and vs. other cell sources
- Outlining the remaining hurdles to gain access to the clinic, working with regulatory agencies to bring therapies to patients, considering inpatient vs. outpatient, and discussing redosing with regulators
- Discussing the importance of redosing and allo-evasion to the clinical efficacy of iPSC-derived NK therapies, and how to manage lymphodepletion
- Overcoming the general perception of risk related to iPSCs, and the requirements for longer-term follow up
Nikolaus Trede, VP Early Development, Century Therapeutics
9:20am - Discussion & Q&A: Where Are the ‘Low Hanging Fruit’, & What is the ‘Golden Chalice’ for NK Cell Sources
- Comparing and contrasting different cell types and their relative strengths and challenges
- Discussing the ‘front runners’ in development, and strategies to de-risk pipelines
- Addressing misconceptions between cell types, and distilling the core characteristics of each
- Harnessing allo-evasion, and discussing how clinical design for NK cells
Nikolaus Trede, VP Early Development, Century Therapeutics
Kanya Rajangam, CMDO, Senti Biosciences
Jan Spanholtz, CSO, Glycostem
Philip Lee, CTO, Senti Biosciences
9:50am - Chair’s Closing Remarks & End of Webinar
Kanya Rajangam, CMDO, Senti Biosciences |