CONFERENCE SERIES: Biological Therapeutic Products
Recorded at: Stem Cells in Drug Discovery and Development
About this Product:
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in several types of cancer, and may play a role in tumorigenic growth, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. New anticancer therapeutics are being developed that will inhibit tumor growth and reduce tumor-initiating cell frequency, improving clinical cancer therapy. The development of new agents that block key CSC pathways will be described, as well as a novel assay for tracking CSCs in cell populations without the need to isolate them, and a CSC screening strategy for discovering therapeutic antibodies.
About this Product:
3 Presentations
62 Slides
Over 67 Minutes
Individual: $345
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Agenda At A Glance:
Development of New Anti-Cancer Therapeutics that Reduce Tumor-Initiating Cell Frequency
Tim Hoey, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Cancer Biology, OncoMed
Cancer stem cells (or tumor-initiating cells) mediate tumor progression, metastasis and recurrence after therapy. We have developed new agents that block key CSC pathways including Notch and Wnt. Currently, we have three therapeutic antibodies which are in clinical testing, anti-DLL4, anti-Notch2/3, and anti-FZD, and others in pre-clinical development. These treatments inhibit tumor growth through multiple mechanisms and reduce CSC frequency.
Biography: Dr. Timothy Hoey is Senior Vice President, Cancer Biology at OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, where he has been since 2005. He directs pre-clinical research focused on developing new drugs targeting cancer stem cells and translational research to develop biomarkers to study these agents in the clinic. Dr. Hoey previously served as Director, Biology Department at Amgen (San Francisco) and was responsible for characterization of oncogenes and development of drugs to target these oncogene products. Prior to this he was Director, Biology Department, Tularik, overseeing cancer and immunology research. Dr. Hoey carried out postdoctoral research on mechanisms of transcriptional regulation at UC Berkeley under Dr. Robert Tjian, and conducted his graduate work at Columbia University on regulation of gene expression during embryonic development with Dr. Michael Levine. Dr. Hoey is an inventor on numerous patents and co-author of over 50 peer-reviewed publications.
Targeting Cancer Stem Cells with Therapeutic Antibodies
Robert Hollingsworth, Ph.D., Director, Cancer Biology, MedImmune, Inc.
Cancer stem cells are drivers for many cancer types, and may be responsible for resistance to current therapies and relapse. As such, they represent a promising new target for anticancer drug development. At MedImmune, we have developed several new models and methods to study CSCs, and are using these to discover new therapeutic antibodies. For instance, we have established a novel assay for tracking CSCs within cell populations that obviates the need to isolate them. These approaches, as well as several additional challenges that must be addressed in targeting CSCs, will be described.
Biography: Dr. Robert Hollingsworth is Director of Cancer Biology at MedImmune, the biologics subsidiary of AstraZeneca. He oversees pre-clinical research ranging from target identification to candidate drug selection, including more than 20 projects. These projects utilize various biotherapeutics technologies, including mono- and bispecific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, and protein mimetics. One of his MedImmune teams is focused on dissecting the function of cancer stem cells and finding novel CSC-inhibiting biotherapeutics. Prior to joining MedImmune, Dr. Hollingsworth served as a Director at GlaxoSmithKline for 11 years, leading teams in oncology, virology, and genomics research. He received a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, and did postdoctoral studies at the University of Texas on the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein. He has been involved in numerous important cancer research discoveries, including early insights into the role of the microenvironment in tumorigenesis, the function of tumor-suppressor proteins, cell cycle control, and the identification of biomarkers for cancer. He has also contributed to the development of several cancer drugs, including Tykerb (lapatinib) and Votrient (pazopanib). Dr. Hollingsworth has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences, received numerous awards including an American Cancer Society Fellowship, and is a member of several research organizations.
Therapeutic Antibodies Targeting Colon Cancer Stem Cells
Peter Chu, Ph.D., CEO, Eclipse Therapeutics
Eclipse Therapeutics is dedicated to the discovery and development of therapeutics that target cancer stem cells. Eclipse has a therapeutic antibody program that targets a high value cancer stem cell target over-expressed in multiple solid tumors. Eclipse is also developing a CSC screening strategy to discover additional functional therapeutic antibodies that inhibit CSCs. This cancer stem cell screen is effective because it combines key aspects of CSC biology and therapeutic antibody drug development in a unique manner. This presentation will discuss Eclipse’s cancer stem cell therapeutic antibody program and provide insights on the development of effective, functional antibodies targeting cancer stem cells.
Biography: Peter Chu, Ph.D., is a seasoned biotech industry professional with 14 years experience in cancer research and drug discovery. Dr. Chu is a recognized expert on cancer stem cells, and also has peer-reviewed publications in the areas of cancer therapeutics, solid and hematologic tumors, and tumor immunology. Prior to founding Eclipse, Dr. Chu was a scientist at Biogen Idec for 9 years, where he led the cancer stem cells research program. While at Biogen Idec, Dr. Chu also gained extensive experience evaluating and working with business development and new venture investment opportunities. Dr. Chu received a doctorate from the University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree from the University of Toronto. He completed his undergraduate studies in microbiology and immunology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
About the Conference:
In addition to enabling regenerative medicine, stem cell research promises to enhance drug discovery and development efforts by providing new tools to improve efficacy and toxicity testing, drug screening, novel target discovery, and understanding of disease mechanisms and pathways. Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s Second Annual Stem Cells in Drug Discovery and Development will explore how pharma are incorporating stem cells into their drug discovery/development efforts and the value of stem cell models in compound screening, toxicity assessment, disease modeling, and new target discovery.