Explore the Agenda

7:00 am Light Breakfast & Networking

8:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Vice President - Precision Medicine, Bristol Myers Squibb

Advancing a Clinically Ubiquitous Pathway Towards Computational Pathology Workflows, Models, & Adoption Strategies to Improve Diagnostic Accuracy in Precision Oncology

8:10 am Computational Pathology – Clearing the Way for More Robust IHC Biomarker Diagnostics

Senior Director & Head of Computational Pathology Strategic Partnerships, AstraZeneca
  • Computational pathology is the next revolution in pathology enabling the development of more robust and accurate biomarker diagnostics
  • QCS (Quantitative Continuous Scoring) was developed to quantify both target protein expression and spatial heterogeneity of target expression
  • Discussing how AstraZeneca are leveraging QCS to quantify target expression to predict response of our oncology therapeutics, including Datopotamab deruxtecan (TROP2)

8:30 am Session Reserved for Personalis

Presentation Details to be Announced

9:00 am Advancing AI-Driven HER2 Assessment: Findings from the Digital PATH Project

Vice President, Science Policy, Friends of Cancer Research
  • Presenting novel findings from a multi-partner evaluation of AI-based HER2 scoring tools in breast cancer
  • Demonstrating variability in model performance and the application of reference standards to evaluate consistency and reliability
  • Exploring strategies to support validation and build regulatory confidence in AI-driven diagnostics for precision oncology

9:20 am Session Reserved for Natera

Presentation Details to be Announced

9:50 am Panel Discussion: Navigating the Common Pitfalls in Digital Pathology to Streamline CDx Development & Adoption

Senior Director - Digital Pathology, Oncology Precision Medicine Leader, Bayer
Senior Director & Head of Computational Pathology Strategic Partnerships, AstraZeneca
Director, Commercial Diagnostics, CDx Lead, Pfizer
Scientific Director, Oncology Precision Medicine & Diagnostics, Johnson & Johnson
  • What are the key strategies to overcome barriers to widespread adoption of digital pathology? And how can organizations build the necessary infrastructure to support digital pathology at scale?
  • What are the commercial challenges facing digital pathology as a companion diagnostic and how can companies address these obstacles?
  • What are the current regulatory challenges in getting digital pathology technologies approved for use as CDx, and how can these be addressed moving forward?

10:20 am Morning Break & CDx Connect Networking

An opportunity to network, discuss and collaborate with like-minded leaders of the precision medicine community

Biomarker Discovery & Translational Development

Biomarker Discovery & Translational Development Track Chaired by Nicole Sheahan

Leveraging Cell-Based, Omics & Functional Assays in Biomarker Discovery to Capture Dynamic Biological Responses & Improve Diagnostic Accuracy

11:20 am Driving Drug Development with Integrated Multi-Omic Insights: Unlocking Precision Medicine with Biodesix’ Comprehensive Service Offerings

Senior Manager - Business Development, Biodesix
  • Integrated multi-omic services accelerate therapeutic discovery and development
  • Biodesix’ end-to-end service offerings simplify complex translational workflows
  • Actionable, high-resolution data to power precision medicine

11:50 am Developing a Companion Diagnostic for a SMARCA2 Direct Degrader in Cancer

Chief Medical Officer, Plexium Inc.
  • SMARCA4 mutations are a heterogeneous group of genomic abnormalities in cancer, some of which create a dependency on its paralog, SMARCA2
  • Prospective identification of patients who would benefit from treatment with a selective SMARCA2 degrader will require a comprehensive analysis of data from ongoing clinical studies and pre-clinical models

12:10 pm Session Reserved for Panakeia

Presentation Details to be Announced

12:40 pm Analytical & Translational Approaches Supporting Clinical Development of mRNA Based In Vivo CAR Products

Vice President - Translational Medicine, Capstan Therapeutics
  • Leveraging preclinical drug product mechanism of action data to inform on FIH clinical pharmacology analytical strategy
  • Fit-for-purpose qualification and validation strategies for FIH to support a recommended dose regimen for Phase 2/ 3 evaluation
  • Refinement of analytical approaches and translational strategy in Phase 2/ 3 to support regulatory activities

1:00 pm Session Reserved for Discovery Life Sciences

Presentation Details to be Announced

Clinical Biomarker Development
CDx Development & Commercialization

1:10 pm Lunch & Networking Break

Dedicated One-on-One Partnering ™

1:10 am Lunch & Learn Hosted by Sophia Genetics

*By Invitation Only

Biomarker Discovery & Translational Development

Biomarker Discovery & Translational Development Track Chaired by Nicole Sheahan

Advancing Dynamic Tumor Profiling & Gene Signatures for Real-Time Clinical Decision- Making & Guided Adaptive Treatment Strategies

2:10 pm From Foundation Model to Real-World Impact: Transforming Clinical Diagnostics with Multimodal AI

Vice President - Scientific Programs, Aignostics
  • With foundation models, companies like Aignostics are building truly generalizable AI products that can be used in real world settings
  • One example is Atlas H&E TME: a comprehensive, scalable product for tumor microenvironment profiling in H&E images
  • The next generation of multimodal foundation models will usher in even more sophisticated AI products

2:40 pm The Regulatory Role of GEF-H1 in Cancer & its Immune Activation by Plinabulin

Chief Scientific Officer, BeyondSpring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
  • Revisiting the role of the microtubule-associated RhoA activator GEF-H1 in cancer
  • GEF-H1 activation by plinabulin in DC maturation and anticancer immune responses
  • The potential of GEF-H1 based biomarker approach for plinabulin combined with chemotherapy/ radiation and a checkpoint inhibitor

3:00 pm Session Reserved for Nucleai

Presentation Details to be Announced

3:30 pm Panel Discussion: Reserved for ZS Associates

Presentation Details to be Announced

4:00 pm World-Wide Clinical Trial Ready Assays as Distributed Kits: A Manufacturer’s Perspective of a Strategic Partnership Model

Chief Science Officer & Founder, EntroGen - Inc
  • Collaborative Protocol Design: Engage at the trial-planning stage to co-develop biomarker assays that fit seamlessly into your study, maximizing data quality and regulatory alignment
  • GMP-Grade CTA Supply: Manufacture and ship clinical trial assay kits to central labs worldwide, ensuring consistent performance and on-time delivery across all sites
  • Seamless Commercial Scale-Up: Transition your validated CTA into FDA- and IVDR-approved companion diagnostic kits, leveraging our regulatory know-how and global distribution network for rapid market launch
Clinical Biomarker Development
CDx Development & Commercialization

4:10 pm Afternoon Networking Break

Dedicated One-on-One Partnering ™

Improving Patient Stratification with Biologic & ADC Drug-CDx Strategies to Optimize Trial Enrollment

4:40 pm Session Reserved for BostonGene

Presentation Details to be Announced

5:10 pm Exploratory Biomarker Analysis in ADC Clinical Trials

Functional Excellence & Clinical Biomarker Oncology Department Head, Daiichi Sankyo
  • Overview of the DXd ADC technology
  • Discussing considerations of exploratory biomarker analysis
  • Exploring representative examples

5:30 pm Session Reserved for Quest Diagnostics

Presentation Details to be Announced

6:00 pm Biomarker-Driven Phase 3 Clinical Trial Enrollment With a Hybrid Approach of Qualified Local & Central Laboratory Developed Tests

Executive Director, Biomarker-Research, Gilead Sciences
  • The ENHANCE-02 trial enrolled Acute Myeloid Leukemia subjects with TP53 mutation
  • Assay concordance was estimated for the collection of local LDTs and a planned CDx assay
  • Effects of this approach on enrollment speed and simulated trial efficacy analysis were examined

6:20 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks & End of Day Two

Vice President - Precision Medicine, Bristol Myers Squibb