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12×12 Virtual Symposium: IL-12 in the Clinic

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DATE: December 12, 2022
TIME: 1:00 PM EST
LOCATION: Virtual

About The Event

Please join us for an interactive discussion on the potential of IL-12 as a potent immunotherapeutic agent across both “hot” and “cold” tumors, featuring:

  • Jason J. Luke, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and Director of the Cancer Immunotherapeutics Center at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
  • Jamie Spangler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering and Director of the Spangler Lab at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

The tumor microenvironment (TME) of immunologically “cold” tumors is lacking both CD8 T cells, representing adaptive immune responses, and NK cells, representing innate immunity, while harboring immune suppressive cells within the tumor. As a result, these tumors are associated with poor responses to checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapies. Conversely, “hot” tumors maintain a pro-inflammatory TME with abundant CD8 T cells and NK cells, and thus often respond to immunotherapies. IL-12 has the ability to activate both the innate and adaptive immune system to potentially convert tumors from “cold” to “hot” and may result in enhanced tumor killing.

Historically, the development of IL-12-based therapies has been limited due to the toxicity of systemically administered recombinant human IL-12. New and promising methods aim to overcome this challenge by engineering IL-12 to include molecule masking. These novel protein-engineering approaches may increase the therapeutic index for IL-12, allowing for this potent cytokine to be harnessed as a therapeutic for the hardest to treat “cold” tumors.

The topics shaping the future of IL-12 therapy will form a rich discussion among the field’s leaders and will be followed by a live Q&A to further discuss these advances.

Event Speakers

Jason J. Luke, M.D.

Director of the Immunotherapy and Drug Development Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh

Jamie Spangler, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering and Director of the Spangler Lab at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine