Driving Immunotherapy Discovery Through Analyzing the Immunological Synapse

Webinar abstract The immune system comprises specialized cells tissues and organs which all interact in an integrated fashion to protect us from pathogens and to eliminate cancer cells. Developing and sustaining immune responses requires intercellular communication which is possible thanks to the Immunological Synapse (IS) formation. Besides, elimination of tumour cells by T-cells or NK cells is achieved by IS formation between tumour cells and immune cells. Indeed, IS formation leads to T-cells and NK cells activation which leads in turn to lytic granules secretion towards the targeted tumour cells. In this webinar, we want to highlight how the evaluation of IS formation at the single cell level can support the discovery of new immunotherapies by helping the triaging of candidates to select the best one(s) as based on their ability to induce stable and productive IS. We will describe the key functions of IS and show how by altering IS formation, immune cell responses are impaired. This can be for example a tumour-immune escape mechanism (e.g. upregulation of inhibitory checkpoints at the surface of tumour cells). We will particularly focus on cutting edge therapeutic modalities such as immune cell engagers (bispecific or multispecific antibodies) and cell therapies where the ultimate goal is to create artificial IS for optimal immune cells-based killing of cancer cells. Webinar summary Immunological synapse (IS) formation is a key part of developing and sustaining immune responses against cancer and is necessary for T cells and NK cells to eliminate tumor cells. This webinar will highlight how the evaluation of IS formation at the single-cell level can support the discovery of new immunotherapies. Our expert speaker will describe the key functions of IS, illustrating how disrupting IS formation leads to impaired immune responses. They will also discuss cutting-edge therapeutics such as immune cell engagers and cell therapies that are designed to create artificial IS for immune cell-based killing of cancer cells. Key Learning Objectives Include 3-4 bullet points covering the webinar’s main learning objectives Attend this webinar to: 1. Learn about immunological synapse: what it is and its functions in immune responses 2. Discover how the use of immunological synapse can be instrumental for drug discovery of immunotherapies 3. Hear how studying the immunological synapse can benefit the discovery of immune cell engagers and immune cell therapy Michael Esquerré, PhD Vice-President Immuno-Oncology Evotec Michael is a T-cell Immunologist with over 20 years of experience in the field, including 16 years in the cancer immunotherapy industry. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the development of cancer immunotherapeutics, progressing from R&D stages to Phase II clinical trials, with a focus on overseeing patient immunomonitoring strategies. For the past nine years, Michael has served as Vice President of Immuno-Oncology at Evotec, leading the Immuno-Oncology therapeutic area. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Cell Therapy core team, supporting the immunological characterization of iPSC-based immune cell therapies. In 2021, he was appointed Review Editor for T-cell Biology at Frontiers in Immunology. Michael's scientific career has been driven by a deep interest in understanding the biological mechanisms of immune response modulation and applying this knowledge to develop innovative cancer therapeutics. He has also contributed to numerous projects involving diverse therapeutic modalities, guiding them from early discovery to IND submissions and clinical trials. His work includes designing and overseeing biomarker strategies to monitor immune responses in patients, validating preclinical data, and supporting the clinical development of therapeutic candidates.