HBV Cure: Promises and challenges of immunotherapies
Background & Objectives:
Functional cure for chronic HBV infections, defined as stable post-therapy loss of HBV surface antigen, is the major goal of current HBV cure strategies using direct acting antivirals and/or anti-HBV immune-stimulating responses. It is essential to understand the immunological mechanisms behind the anticipated therapies in the pipeline to prepare for future clinical trials. This year’s ICE-HBV Cure symposium addressed the following topics:
- Antibody therapy in HBV
- Soluble TCR therapy in HBV
- What parameters should guide the selection and timing of immunotherapies in HBV?
Program, Replay & Presentations:
22 SEPTEMBER 2022
Symposium Co-Chairs: Mala Maini and Antonio Bertoletti
See Symposium Chair Bios
Dr. Mala Maini is a Professor of Viral Immunology in the Division of Infection and Immunity at UCL, London, Department and also works as a Consultant Physician in the viral hepatitis clinic. Her lab is at the forefront internationally of research on Hepatitis B immunity and immunopathology, focusing on cellular interactions in the liver. Their goal is to dissect mechanisms informing the development of immunotherapy for hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Dr. Antonio Bertoletti, is Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School , Singapore . His laboratory is working on immunopathogenesis of HBV infection with a focus on the development of new immunological based therapies (TCR-redirected T cells) for the treatment of HBV chronic infection and Hepatocellular carcinoma. In 2015 he founded Lion TCR Pte (http://liontcr.com), a biotech company developing immune-based treatments for virus-related cancers (HBV-HCC and EBV related malignancies) and chronic viral infections.
Hide Session Chair Bios
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
| 10:05-10:30am |
Rationale for new approaches to therapeutic vaccination in HBV |
Ulrike Protzer, TU Munich, Helmholtz Munich See Bio Dr. Ulrike Protzer is Director of the Institute of Virology at the Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Munich. She initiated and is coordinating TherVacB, an effort to develop a heterologous prime-boot therapeutic vaccine to cure HBV. She works on the virus-host-interaction of the hepatitis B virus. Her research is aimed at advancing our understanding of the molecular and immunological mechanisms of virus control. Together with her work group, she utilizes the knowledge gained to develop new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and of secondary diseases resulting from the virus. Hide Bio |
| 10:30-10:55am | Antibody therapy in HBV |
David Corti, Vir Biotechnology See Bio Dr. Davide Corti obtained his Ph.D. in Immunology at the University of Bern, followed by postdoctoral training in Antonio Lanzavecchia’s laboratory at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine. In 2009 he was the Chief Scientific Officer at Humabs, where he led a research group to isolate monoclonal antibodies against multiple infectious disease viral and bacterial agents. Starting from 2012 he collaborated with MedImmune on the isolation of human antibodies against multiple target pathogens like Rhinovirus, Influenza B, Klebsiella and Staphylococcus. Humabs was acquired by Vir Biotechnology in 2017 to become its subsidiary in Bellinzona, Switzerland. Dr. Davide Corti is now Senior Vice President, leading Antibody Research at Vir. Hide Bio |
| 10:55-11:20am | Soluble TCR therapy in HBV |
Praveen Singh, Immunocore See Bio Dr. Praveen Singh began his journey working on small molecule discovery at GSK in a range of therapeutic areas. He then obtained his Ph.D in Molecular Neuroscience from King’s College London, where he investigated the mechanisms regulating Diacylglycerol Lipase activity. After a brief stint in India gaining experience in scientific and regulatory strategy, he joined Immunocore in 2016 as a Senior Scientist where has spent the last six years working on the development of soluble TCRs for the treatment of chronic infections – notably HIV and HBV. He is currently an Associate Director (Disease Biology) at Immunocore. Hide Bio |
| 11:20-11:40am | Coffee Break | |
|
11:40-11:55am |
Debate: What parameters should guide the selection and timing of immunotherapies in HBV? See Barbara Testoni’s presentation. |
Barbara Testoni, CRCL ISERM See Bio Dr. Barbara Testoni is a PI in the “Viral Hepatitis” team at CRCL – INSERM U1052 in Lyon. Her research interests mainly include the investigation of the epigenetic mechanisms at the basis of host and viral gene regulation during HBV infection, with particular focus on the transcriptional regulation of the HBV minichromosome. She is also involved in translational studies, to the aim of understanding the relationships between HBV persistence and intrahepatic innate immunity perturbations and to characterizing new serum biomarkers for intrahepatic cccDNA activity. According to Medifind, her top areas of expertise are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis, Liver Cancer, and Hepatitis C. Hide Bio Adam Gehring, Toronto Centre for Liver Disease See Bio Dr. Adam Gehring received his Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. His training included a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Institute of Hepatology at University College London and a position of Senior Research Fellow, and subsequently Assistant Principal Investigator, at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences. Dr. Gehring moved to Saint Louis University as an Assistant Professor in the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology department in March 2013 before joining the Toronto Center for Liver Disease as Biology Lead in February 2016. His research has always focused on the pathogenesis of human infection and the resulting immune response. His primary interest lies in defining the mechanisms driving liver inflammation during HBV-related flares using functional and transcriptomic approaches in liver biopsies. Hide Bio Upkar Gill, Queen Mary University London See Bio Dr. Upkar Gill is currently a Clinical Lecturer at the Queen Mary University of London and also holds the position of Honorary Consultant Hepatologist at QMUL & Barts Health (NHS Trust). His clinical training has been based in London (Barts Health, King’s College & Imperial NHS Trusts) and Leeds Teaching Hospitals. In academia he has worked at centers in London (QMUL, UCL) and also in Singapore (Duke-NUS) training in world class labs. He has received accolades such as the Sir Francis Avery Jones Research Medal and the Sheila Sherlock Award (BASL) for his research in Hepatitis B and liver immunology. According to Medifind, his top areas of expertise include Hepatitis B, Hepatitis, Cirrhosis, and Liver Cancer. Hide Bio |
| 11:55-12:25am |
Panel Discussion |
Mala Maini, University College London See Bio Dr. Mala Maini is a Professor of Viral Immunology in the Division of Infection and Immunity at UCL, London, Department and also works as a Consultant Physician in the viral hepatitis clinic. Her lab is at the forefront internationally of research on Hepatitis B immunity and immunopathology, focusing on cellular interactions in the liver. Their goal is to dissect mechanisms informing the development of immunotherapy for hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hide Bio Antonio Bertoletti, Duke-NUS See Bio Dr. Antonio Bertoletti is Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School , Singapore . His laboratory is working on immunopathogenesis of HBV infection with a focus on the development of new immunological based therapies (TCR-redirected T cells) for the treatment of HBV chronic infection and Hepatocellular carcinoma. In 2015 he founded Lion TCR Pte (http://liontcr.com), a biotech company developing immune-based treatments for virus-related cancers (HBV-HCC and EBV related malignancies) and chronic viral infections. Hide Bio Barbara Testoni, CRCL ISERM See Bio Dr. Barbara Testoni is a PI in the “Viral Hepatitis” team at CRCL – INSERM U1052 in Lyon. Her research interests mainly include the investigation of the epigenetic mechanisms at the basis of host and viral gene regulation during HBV infection, with particular focus on the transcriptional regulation of the HBV minichromosome. She is also involved in translational studies, to the aim of understanding the relationships between HBV persistence and intrahepatic innate immunity perturbations and to characterizing new serum biomarkers for intrahepatic cccDNA activity. According to Medifind, her top areas of expertise are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis, Liver Cancer, and Hepatitis C Hide Bio
See Bio Dr. Adam Gehring received his Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. His training included a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Institute of Hepatology at University College London and a position of Senior Research Fellow, and subsequently Assistant Principal Investigator, at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences. Dr. Gehring moved to Saint Louis University as an Assistant Professor in the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology department in March 2013 before joining the Toronto Center for Liver Disease as Biology Lead in February 2016. His research has always focused on the pathogenesis of human infection and the resulting immune response. By understanding these aspects, he aims to develop novel therapies. Hide Bio
See Bio Dr. Upkar Gill is currently a clinical lecturer at the Queen Mary University of London and also holds the position of Honorary Consultant Hepatologist at QMUL & Barts Health (NHS Trust). In the past, he has worked at Barts Health as a Clinical Research Fellow and also as a Senior House Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (NHS Trust). He has received accolades such as the Sir Francis Avery Jones Research Medal and the Sheila Sherlock Award (BASL) for his research in Hepatitis B and liver immunology. According to Medifind, his top areas of expertise include Hepatitis B, Hepatitis, Cirrhosis, and Liver Cancer. Hide Bio Simon Fletcher, Gilead See Bio Simon Fletcher is an Executive Director at Gilead Sciences. He received his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cambridge (UK) and performed post-doctoral studies at Roche. He then moved to Anadys Pharmaceuticals where he worked on developing immunomodulatory therapies to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In 2009, he moved to Roche where he led drug discovery and translational research teams working towards the development of a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Since 2012, he has worked at Gilead Sciences, where he leads a group focused on developing novel therapies for HBV and other chronic viral infections. Hide Bio |
This event is endorsed by the HBV International Meeting.
