Pre-Conference Seminar Day: Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Track A
Track B
9.00 Workshop A From PCLS, Organoids, 3D Tissue
Models, iPSCs, Aged Bleomycin, Ferrets, & Beyond:
Deep Diving into the Pulmonary Playbook to Enhance
Recapitulation of the Human Lung
• Critically evaluating the predictive power of different
preclinical models (bleomycin, aged-bleomycin, precision-cut
lung slices, 3D tissues) for ILDs and IPF
• Exploring the challenges of translating alternative models into clinical applications
• What are the advantages and limitations of using each model and the successes and challenges in replicating complex lung architecture and microenvironment
• Looking beyond IPF, discussing the need for models that
capture the diverse subtypes of ILAs and ILDs
• Exploring developing models that incorporate the complex
involvement of environmental factors in ILDs
David Lagares, Founder, Zenon Biotech
9.00 Workshop B Predicting the Patients of Tomorrow with
Earlier Diagnosis Across Pulmonary Fibrosis for Improved
Clinical Outcomes
• What benefits do earlier intervention at the ILA and ILD stage
before progressive fibrosis present for improved treatment
outcomes
• Uncovering predictive biomarkers to determine a risk score
of acquiring a progressive phenotype for individual treatment
strategies
• Exploring the key factors driving progression at different
stages to design effective clinical trials
• Highlighting the role of HRCT and PET scans to visualize and
monitor early-stage fibrosis in both IPF and ILDs
Bhavika Kaul, Physician-Investigator, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
11:00am Morning Break
11.30 Workshop C Comparatively Assess Novel & Disease Specific Targets vs. Upstream Broad-Spectrum Targets to Unveil Untapped Opportunities for Enhanced IPF Therapeutics
• Exploring specific and isolated drivers of IPF including ECM,
fibroblasts, macrophages, epithelial and endothelial cells as
opposed to generic processes
• Minimizing off target effects with novel disease-specific
pathways and targets to halt fibrosis with greater precision
• Targeting upstream non-specific processes affecting multiple downstream pro-fibrotic pathways
• Finding the balance between strength and specificity and
optimal patient populations for different approaches
• What have the community tried, what avenues still need to be explored and where do remaining opportunities lie?
Jim Wu, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Ark Biosciences
Joe Garcia, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Aqualung
Therapeutics
11.30 Workshop D Deciphering Patient Heterogeneity
Leveraging AI & Novel Models to Segment Heterogeneous
Disease Populations & Unlock Personalized Medicine in IPF
• Exploring the potential of patient-derived models such as
organoids to better replicate IPF heterogeneity and guide
personalized drug discovery
• Utilizing AI and ML to analyze complex datasets to categorize
patient subgroups based on unique disease mechanisms and
predict response to different treatment strategies for clinical trials
• Examining different mechanisms for patient stratification
including early-stage biomarker candidates, imaging
signatures, and AI-powered analysis
Sydney Montesi, Clinician, Researcher, Massachusetts
General Hospital
Marilyn Glassberg, Professor & Chair, Department of
Medicine, Loyola University
1:30pm Lunch Break
2.30 Workshop E Examining Novel Drug Delivery Systems
for Targeted Lung Delivery to Improve Bioavailability &
Minimize Off Target Effects
• Exploring the benefits of local intervention via inhalation
versus systemic administration
• Understanding how to target specific cell types in the lung to increase bioavailability
• Examining disease progression and implications of lung
deposition for drug design and development considerations
• Evaluating the pulmonary delivery efficiency of biologics small molecules, and antibodies through comparative analysis of inhalation, nebulization, and alveolar absorption
• Considering patients preferences, what are patients willing to tolerate regarding route of administration and frequency
Jason McCarthy, Scientific Operations Manager, Masonic
Medical Research Laboratory
2.30 Workshop F Innovative Strategies to Mitigate the
Competitive & Challenging Nature of Clinical Trials in a
High-Risk Rare Diseases
• Examining strategies to proactively navigate the competitionof clinical trials
• Optimizing recruitment of patients in rare disease populations working with patient centres and foundations
• Exploring the feasibility of synthetic controlled arms and sharing of placebo data and beyond
• Discussing the potential of digital health technology for
remote monitoring and patient-reported outcomes in PPF trials
• Examining innovative strategies to improve the efficacy and
efficiency of clinical trials
Jeffrey Bornstein, Chief Medical Officer, Mediar Therapeutics
Toby Maher, Physician, University of Southern California