CONFERENCE DAY ONE

8:20 am Check-In & Badge Collection & Coffee

Standardizing Protocols to Enable Effective Reproducibility Across Different Models

9:20 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

9:30 am Balancing Model Complexity with Reproducibility to Drive Adoption of 3D In Vitro Models for Immunology Drug Discovery

Synopsis

  • Interrogating best practice to achieve model reproducibility whilst incorporating complexity
  • Strategizing practical methods to perform qualification and validation of complex in vitro models
  • Realizing experimental design considerations and technologies that enhance the efficiency and throughput of compound screening using 3D tissue models

10:00 am Validating Liver 3D Tissue Models to Advance siRNA Therapeutic Identification

Synopsis

  • Utilizing 3D culture systems such as primary human hepatic spheroids (PHHS) and MPS for siRNA therapeutic identification
  • Discussing the optimization of 3D cell systems to enhance their utility in siRNA drug development
  • Addressing the importance of implementing human specific models to improve better target validation and therapeutic screening

10:30 am Morning Break & Speed Networking

Synopsis

As the 3D tissue modeling community is reunited, this valuable session will ensure you get the chance to reconnect with peers and make brand new connections! This structured networking opportunity will pair you with fellow attendees for several 3-minute introductions, ensuring you have the opportunity to meet and network with your academic and industry colleagues!

Spotlighting Lessons Learned from Augmenting 3D Tissue Models Across Multiple Disease Areas

11:30 am Establishing a Reproducible Blood-Brain Barrier Model to Enhance BBB Therapeutic Development

Synopsis

  • Optimized strategies to recapitulate the blood-brain-barrier environment
  • How to best characterize the cells within the model?

12:00 pm Session Reserved for Corning

12:30 pm Lunch Break

Enhancing Model Adoption Internally & Externally

1:30 pm Panel: Building Out a Strategy to Increase Model Adoption & Enable Better Alignment with Internal & Regulatory Stakeholders

Synopsis

  • Discussing what data needs to be produced to instil confidence internally and externally
  • Addressing best practices to clearly articulate the value of these models to convince your leadership team and internal stakeholders whether these models are worth of investment

2:15 pm Discussing Initiatives to Enable Better Alignment on the Use of Complex In Vitro Models with Regulatory Stakeholders

  • Jason Ekert Head of Discovery Translational Technology, UCB
  • Colin Choi Associate Scientific Director, Biogen

Synopsis

  • Reintroducing the IQ-MPS affiliate and the goals of the regulatory working group to qualify CIVMs for regulatory use
  • Discussing best practice when interacting with regulatory bodies like the FDA and global regulatory bodies
  • Aligning on what CIVM data needs to be produced to instil confidence in the models externally

2:45 pm Scientific Poster Competition & Refreshments Break

Synopsis

Witness some of the latest and greatest research in the 3D tissue modeling field by drug developers, academics, researchers and platform developers in this spotlight poster session! Our poster advisory board will be evaluating the posters as part of the awards process during this time.

Crafting the Right Balance Between Scalability, Model Complexity, & Throughput

3:45 pm Harnessing Reproducible Organ-On-A-Chip Models to Advance Lung Disease Research

Synopsis

  • Investigating optimized strategies to recapitulate the disease microenvironment more accurately in organ-on-a-chip models
  • Utilizing these models to study fibroblast interactions and their role in lung disease
  • Validating the impact of ECM components on the cell co-cultures and target validation efforts in these lung disease models

4:15 pm Optimizing & Validating Organoid & Spheroid Models to Empower More Efficient Oncology Drug Discovery

Synopsis

  • Interrogating best practice to achieve model reproducibility whilst incorporating complexity for faster drug discovery
  • Strategizing practical methods to perform high-throughput screening with organoids and spheroids for compound screening
  • Realizing experimental design considerations that enhance the efficiency and throughput of compound screening 

4:45 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks