DAY TWO
8:00 am Coffee & Networking
8:55 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Navigating the Landscape: Building Spatial Biology Capabilities & Advancing Drug Discovery
9:00 am Panel Discussion: Navigating Strategic Choices: Building Internal Capabilities vs. Partnering with External Experts in Spatial Biology
Synopsis
- Outlining the factors that influence whether an organization should build internal spatial biology capabilities or work with external partners
- Delving into case studies of organizations that chose to scale through internal development and those that successfully worked with CROs to expand their capabilities
- Analysing how hybrid models provide flexibility, reduce risks, and ensure a balance of internal control and external expertise
9:45 am From Bench to Breakthroughs: Leveraging Spatial Transcriptomics Platforms in Early Discovery & Beyond
Synopsis
- Discussing how spatial transcriptomics can be utilized in early drug discovery to identify novel targets and understand disease mechanisms at a cellular level
- Exploring the benefits of integrating spatial transcriptomics with other orthogonal technologies
- Addressing the current challenges in spatial transcriptomics, such as data complexity, cost, and technical limitations, and discussing potential solutions and future directions
10:15 am Morning Break & Networking
Enhancing Target Profiling & Understanding Immune Dynamics to Navigate Cell-Cell Interactions
11:00 am Innovation in Preclinical & Translational Safety: Unveiling Spatial Target Expression Profiling with CosMx
Synopsis
- Leveraging cutting-edge CosMx technology to generate comprehensive tissue expression profiles in human tissues, enabling precise spatial mapping of molecular targets within complex tissues
- Achieving unparalleled spatial resolution by using CosMx to profile target expression at the single-cell level within tissue microarrays, unlocking insights into cell-specific responses and behaviors in several tissues in one slide
- Utilizing spatial transcriptomics data to assess safety profiles and identify potential toxicological effects, driving informed decision-making in drug development and preclinical safety assessments
11:30 am Roundtable: Effective Communication of Data Analyses in Spatial Omics
Synopsis
- What are the most effective ways to distill the complexity of high-throughput spatial omics data for clear communication?
- Which data visualization and analysis techniques have you found most impactful in driving insights
- How do you tailor the presentation of spatial omics findings for audiences with varying levels of technical expertise?
12:00 pm Lunch & Networking
1:00 pm Spatial Transcriptomics Reveal Interplay Between CAFs & Tumorphagocytic TAMs that Governs Immunosuppression
Synopsis
- Exploring the technical aspects and innovations that enable high-resolution mapping of cellular interactions
- Detailing how high-resolution spatial mapping reveals insights into cell-cell interactions within tissues
- Reviewing examples where these techniques have been used to study immune cell interactions, tumor-stroma dynamics, and neuronal networks
Unifying Spatial Technologies & Standardizing Data Processing
1:30 pm Panel Discussion: Standardizing Data Processing Across Spatial Biology Platforms
Synopsis
- Summarising the challenges of inconsistencies in data processing due to varied computational tools and resources
- Outlining current efforts and proposals for developing universal or standardized methods
- Navigating case studies of successful standardization initiatives and their impact