Precision Oncology Symposia Series
The Stuart and Molly Sloan Precision Oncology Institute is hosting a series of symposia to spotlight different areas of Precision Oncology research. The series kicked off on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 with the “Advances in Cancer Vaccines” symposium. A second symposium on Theranostics will be held in February and a third symposium is tentatively being planned for May 2025.
Upcoming Events
Stuart and Molly Sloan Precision Oncology Institute Theranostics Symposium
Join us on February 28, 2025 for a symposium to explore the field of Theranostics. Theranostics is a cutting-edge approach in precision medicine that merges diagnostics with therapeutics. It typically involves two main components:
- Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals: These agents are used for imaging and assessing the expression and distribution of specific targets in cells, particularly cancer cells. By identifying the presence and concentration of these targets, clinicians can tailor treatment strategies more effectively.
- Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals: Once the diagnostic phase has pinpointed the targeted cancer tissues, these therapeutic agents deliver localized radiation to destroy the cancer cells. This targeted approach minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissues, improving treatment outcomes and reducing side effects.
This dual strategy enhances the personalization of cancer treatment, allowing for more effective management of various malignancies. By combining diagnostics and therapy in this way, theranostics holds great promise for improving patient outcomes in oncology.
The Theranostics Symposium is organized in partnership with UW Radiology and co-hosted by Drs. Amir Iravani, Director of Theranostics, and Delphine Chen, Director of Molecular Imaging and Therapy, Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
Previous Events
Stuart and Molly Sloan Precision Oncology Institute Symposium: Advances in Cancer Vaccines
The Stuart and Molly Sloan Precision Oncology Institute symposia series kicked off with a Cancer Vaccine Symposium on Tuesday, October 1 entitled “Advances in Cancer Vaccines.” The event was hosted and moderated by Dr. Pete Nelson, Dr. Eric Collisson and Dr. Larry Corey and featured experts in the field, with representation from academia and industry.
The symposium was organized into three sessions to highlight the diversity of emerging research in the field:
- Session 1: Personalized Cancer Vaccine Strategies: Preclinical and Clinical Studies
- Session 2: Targets for Cancer Vaccine Development
- Session 3: Understanding and Enhancing Host Responses to Vaccines and Antigens
Session one included three talks from investigators whose research aims to better understand how to leverage an individual's immune system to develop more effective and personalized cancer vaccines. Session two’s presentations explored novel targets for cancer vaccines and the important interplay with the individual’s tumor microenvironment. Lastly, session three focused on recontextualizing cancer vaccine delivery methods and the pros and cons of each approach in different clinical settings. The morning and afternoon each concluded with a lively panel discussion where speakers fielded valuable follow up questions from the audience and expanded upon the research and topics presented during their talks.
Many more topics were covered. Additional information on speakers and talks are available in the agenda from the event.
Welcome and Introduction
Pete Nelson, MD and Larry Corey, MD
8:30 a.m. - 8:40 a.m.
Session 1 | Personalized Cancer Vaccine Strategies: Preclinical and Clinical Studies
Keith Knutson, PhD, Andrew A. and Mary S. Sugg Professor of Cancer Research Professor of Immunology, Mayo Clinic
Customized Vaccines for Cancer
Technologic improvements over the past decade have ushered in a new era of cancer vaccines. In this lecture, I will discuss how bioinformatics, new manufacturing approaches, and immune checkpoint blockade have resulted in the development and clinical translation of innovative vaccine strategies at the Mayo Clinic and other institutions. The discussion will include the use of vaccines across disease settings including treatment, prevention of relapse, and primary prevention.
08:40 a.m. - 09:00 a.m.
Mark Yarchoan, MD, Associate Professor of Medical Oncology, Johns Hopkins University
Targeting 'public' and 'private' neoantigens in liver cancer
We will review the results of a recent clinical trial of a personalized therapeutic cancer vaccine for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the interim results of an ongoing clinical trial of a personalized therapeutic cancer vaccine for fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLC), a rare fusion-driven cancer affecting children and young adults. The advantages and disadvantages of targeting 'public' versus 'private' neoantigens in the context of low tumor mutational burden cancers such as liver cancers will be reviewed.
09:05 a.m. - 09:25 a.m.
Karin Jooss, PhD, Executive Vice President and Head of Research & Development, Gritstone bio, Inc.
Development of a Neoantigen-directed Individualized Cancer Vaccine
The presentation will cover the following:
- Development of a neural network (AI) for neoantigen selection
- Selection of vaccine platforms and regimen
- Learnings from FIH study
09:30 a.m. - 09:50 a.m.
Break
Coffee & Refreshments Available
09:50 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
Session 2 | Targets for Cancer Vaccine Development
Christopher Haqq, MD, PhD, Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer, Elicio Therapeutics
Amplifying Tumor Specific Immunity through Lymph Node Targeted mKRAS-specific Amphiphile Vaccine in Gastrointestinal Tumors
Lymph node targeted amphiphile vaccine ELI-002 was evaluated in n=39 MRD relapsed pancreatic and colorectal adenocarcinoma patients who had minimal residual disease relapse (MRD) following locoregional treatment. There were no dose limiting toxicities, and over 84% induced mKRAS-specific T cell responses which included both CD4+ and CD8+ cells and associated with antigen spreading. T cell responses correlated with preliminary antitumor activity including reduction and clearance of MRD, and disease-free survival.
10:10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Nora Disis, MD, Professor, UW/Member, FHCC & Director, UW Cancer Vaccine Institute
Breast cancer vaccines: from treatment to prevention
Advances in our understanding of the type of immune responses needed to eradicate cancer, the definition of hundreds of tumor antigens, and advances in vaccine delivery technologies have put us at a tipping point in cancer vaccine development. Many cancer vaccines are now being advanced in the adjuvant setting to determine whether immunization can prevent disease recurrence. Other vaccines targeting both mutated and nonmutated tumor associated proteins are being used in the prophylactic setting to prevent the development of disease. Breast cancer has been used as a model tumor for clinical studies of both therapeutic vaccines to prevent disease recurrence and cancer prevention vaccines.
10:35 a.m. - 10:55 a.m.
Niranjan Y. Sardesai, PhD, Founder, President & CEO, Geneos Therapeutics
Personalized DNA Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines: Phase 1/2 trial in advanced hepatocellular cancer
Advances in next-generation sequencing have facilitated the identification of mutation associated neoantigens in patient tumors and the development of personalized therapeutic cancer vaccines (PTCV) targeting them. The presentation will discuss Phase 1/2 clinical trial efficacy results in advanced hepatocellular cancer using a DNA based personalized cancer vaccine platform in combination with the immune checkpoint agent pembrolizumab. Immune correlative and mechanistic data will be presented highlighting the PTCV mediated expansion of the clonal repertoire of tumor neoantigen directed CD8 T cells and their trafficking into the tumor.
11:00 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.
Panel Discussion – Q/A
Featuring all speakers from morning sessions + audience
11:25 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Break for Lunch
12:00 p.m. - 12:40 p.m.
Session 3 | Understanding and Enhancing Host Responses to Vaccines and Antigens
Jay A. Berzofsky, MD, PhD, Chief, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH
Synergies of cancer vaccines with novel immunomodulatory agents: custom combinations for each tumor microenvironment
Cancer vaccine efficacy may require blockade of negative regulation, and conversely, such blockade of negative regulation, like checkpoint inhibitors, may require cancer vaccines to work effectively in cold tumors. Thus, the two modalities should synergize. Our murine studies explored how examination of the tumor microenvironment can inform the selection of the best combinations of first and second-generation checkpoint inhibitors and blockers of other regulatory mechanisms with cancer vaccines to design customized immunotherapies for each tumor/cancer patient.
12:40 p.m. - 01:00 p.m.
Elias Sayour, MD, PhD, Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research, University of Florida
Sensitizing response to immunotherapy with RNA vaccines
This talk will discuss new mRNA vaccine approaches leveraging multilamellar lipid particle aggregate (LPA) delivery systems. This talk will also discuss opportunities for personalized and universal vaccines to sensitize immunotherapeutic responses in refractory cancers like glioblastoma.
1:05 p.m. - 1:25 p.m.
Michael Fischbach, PhD, Liu (Liao) Family Professor of Bioengineering, Stanford University
Understanding and manipulating immune modulation by the microbiome
Certain members of the commensal microbiota elicit a potent T cell response upon colonization. In this talk, I will describe a project in which we explore the functional properties of colonist-induced T cells by engineering the skin bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis to express tumor antigens anchored to secreted or cell-surface proteins. Upon colonization, engineered S. epidermidis elicits tumor-specific T cells that circulate, infiltrate local and metastatic lesions, and exert cytotoxic activity, showing that the immune response to a colonist can be redirected against a target of therapeutic interest by expressing a target-derived antigen in a commensal.
1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Break
Refreshments Available
1:50 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.
Yves Levy, MD, PhD, Director of Vaccine Research Institute (Inserm, France)
A new method of delivery of pathogenic or tumor antigens to Dendritic Cells: targeted immunotherapy
We have developed an immunotherapy platform aimed to enhance immunity against pathogens and cancer by exploiting the capacity of dendritic cells (DCs) to initiate potent immunity by efficient uptake and presentation of endocytosed material. Delivery of antigens to DCs using anti-CD40 receptor-specific humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibodies induced robust and long-lasting antigen-specific immune responses in several preclinical models and in phase 1/2a clinical studies (HIV, SARS-CoV-2, HPV-induced cancer).
2:10 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Matthias Stephan, MD, PhD, Professor, Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center
New methods for enhancing delivery of gene therapy and cancer vaccines
Our group is developing injectable nanoreagent as well as implantable biomaterial scaffolds that can program circulating T cells to recognize tumor antigens. I will present strategies to adapt this approach into a novel cancer vaccine in which host T cells are engineered with T-cell receptors (TCR) genes. These genes will provide the lymphocytes with tumor-recognizing capabilities, which can then be selectively expanded by treatment with a peptide vaccine recognized by the programmed TCR. We anticipate this new vaccine strategy will provide an inexpensive, facile, and broadly applicable option that can generate anti-tumor immunity “on demand” in a variety of settings.
2:35 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.
Panel Discussion – Q/A
Featuring all speakers from afternoon session + audience
03:00 p.m. - 03:30 p.m.
Concluding Remarks
Pete Nelson, MD and Larry Corey, MD
3:30 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.
Reception
Hors d'oeuvres and beverages with symposium speakers and attendees
3:40 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Double Helix Café
Fred Hutch Cancer Center