Conference Day One
Wednesday, November 19
7:30 am Morning Coffee & Registration
8:25 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Pinpointing the Right Tumor Targets to Unlock Clinical Efficacy & Enable Relevant Immune Responses for Clinical Success
8:30 am Enhancing Vaccine Efficacy Through Improved T Cell Priming to Advance Neoantigen Discovery & Antigen Presentation
Synopsis
• Investigating dendritic cell biology and antigen presentation pathways that drive effective CD8+ and CD4+ T cell priming to increase functional T cell infiltration and improve vaccine-induced tumor clearance
• Applying refined antigen selection strategies to expand immunogenicity across tumor types to enhance breadth of response and overcome immune evasion mechanisms
9:00 am Leveraging Immunopeptidomics to Validate Endogenous Antigen Presentation & De-Risk Epitope Selection
Synopsis
• Using mass spectrometry-based immunopeptidomics to directly identify MHC-bound peptides from tumor tissue to confirm which predicted antigens are truly presented
• Detecting post-translationally modified, cryptic, or low-abundance peptides that escape standard analysis to overcome predictive blind spots
• Incorporating immunopeptidomics into early discovery workflows to de-risk antigen selection, reduce false positives, and support regulatory confidence in epitope relevance
9:30 am Session Reserved for Twist Bioscience
10:00 am Activating the Immune System With Whole-Tumor Vaccines: Harnessing Shared & Neoantigens to Remodel the Tumor Microenvironment
Synopsis
• Leveraging whole tumor cells as antigen-presenting tools to stimulate immune responses effectively
• Combining shared tumor-associated antigens and patient-specific neoantigens in a single vaccine format to broaden immune coverage and overcome tumor heterogeneity
• Presenting preclinical data on TME remodelling and immune activation in ovarian cancer models to validate mechanism and guide clinical translation
• Enhancing immune potency with rational adjuvant selection and delivery strategy to improve response durability and therapeutic efficacy
10:30 am Morning Break & Speed Networking
Synopsis
Our dedicated speed networking session is the perfect opportunity to have in-depth conversations and forge long-lasting connections with fellow technical experts working within Personalized Cancer Vaccines
Neoantigen Strategy: Solving the Prediction–Validation Gap to Identify Potent, Patient- Specific Targets That Accelerate Clinical Success & Enable Scalable Manufacturing
11:30 am Expanding the Neoantigen Strategy Beyond Melanoma: Evolving Target Selection Across Tumor Types to Expand PCV Applicability
Synopsis
• Translating lessons from V940 to inform indication expansion and optimize antigen design across tumor types with differing immune responsiveness
• Validating evolving antigen strategies in early-stage settings to accelerate clinical translation and enable faster access
• Navigating regulatory considerations to determine when antigen selection strategy constitutes a new product vs an extension of platform intent
12:00 pm Session Reserved for Eclipse Bio
12:30 pm Nanofilament-Directed Immunotherapy Ignites Robust Antitumor Vaccine Responses & Overcomes Neoantigen Prediction Bottlenecks
Synopsis
• Bioengineered nanofilaments bypass the need to map individual neoantigens by directly converting cancer cells into targets for the immune system
• Nanofilament biologic activities orchestrate the immune response – from tumor antigen capture to T-cell activation
• Nanofilament-Directed Immunotherapy offers an off-the-shelf solution to ignite a robust antitumor vaccine response against the patient’s complete tumor antigen repertoire
1:00 pm Lunch Break
Decode the Tumor, Design the Cure: Prioritizing Indications, Overcoming Immune Barriers, & Visualizing the Tumor Microenvironment to Build Better PCVs
2:00 pm Using ctDNA & Immune Biomarkers to Capture Dynamic Tumor Biology, Monitor Treatment Response, & Guide Smarter Vaccine Design
Synopsis
• Using ctDNA as a biomarker to monitor treatment response
• Harnessing ctDNA to fine-tune vaccine design based on evolving tumor profiles for reducing clinical failure
• Using biomarker signatures like CD80, PD-L1, and CD4/CD8 ratios to assess immunogenic potential and stratify patients most likely to benefit from PCVs
• Translating dynamic tumor insights into actionable design pivots to optimize a durable response
2:30 pm Using the Patient’s Own Tumor to Eliminate Neoantigen Prediction & Redesign Clinical Trials
Synopsis
• Deploying a unique mechanism that bypasses complex neoantigen prediction by letting the patient’s own tumor drive antigen presentation, eliminating the need for upfront epitope mapping
• Cutting manufacturing costs and compressing turnaround to just three weeks by growing tumor-derived cells directly to avoid extensive sequencing, synthesis, and custom design
• Targeting patients with minimal residual disease and healthy immune systems to maximize vaccine response, moving beyond late-stage metastatic settings where immune function is severely compromised
• Incorporating adjuvant strategies that strengthen immune activation earlier in the disease course, improving the odds of durable remission
3:00 pm Roundtable: Determining Optimal Duration of Cancer Vaccine Therapy to Maximize Immune Durability, Minimize Patient Burden, & Improve Long- Term Outcomes
Synopsis
• How to define the right length of vaccine administration in advanced and adjuvant settings to maximize durable immune responses and reduce relapse risk
• How to weigh the trade-offs between prolonged treatment and patient quality of life to avoid unnecessary long-term psychological burden
• How to tailor duration strategies by modality (RNA, DNA, peptides) to minimize side effects and achieve sustained clinical benefit
3:30 pm Afternoon Break & Poster Session
Synopsis
Contribute to the conversation and share your cutting-edge research with like-minded PCV experts. To present a poster, register your place and submit an abstract highlighting your breakthroughs. *Please visit the website for T&Cs for presenting a poster
Designing Smarter Combinations & Next-Generation Adjuvants to Amplify Immunity, Overcome Resistance, & Realize the Full Promise of Personalized Cancer Vaccines
4:30 pm Optimizing Delivery Strategies for Peptide-Based Cancer Vaccines to Target Antigen-Presenting Cells Effectively
Synopsis
• Designing targeted delivery approaches that enhance uptake by antigen-presenting cells and support efficient cross-presentation
• Aligning adjuvant and formulation strategy with peptide characteristics and route of administration to elicit durable CD8+ T cell immunity
• Incorporating early immune readouts and safety profiling to identify clinically viable delivery systems for personalized applications
5:00 pm Engineering Anti-Tumor Immunity: Strategic Design of Vaccine Constructs to Activate Durable & Potent Immune Responses
Synopsis
• Leveraging clinical insights from an ongoing Phase I trial to guide the design of personalized vaccine constructs
• Selecting optimal vectors, adjuvants, and delivery mechanisms to stimulate strong CD8+ T cell and memory responses
• Translating immunogenicity data into design refinements to overcome tumor immune evasion