Spatial Biology Europe | Miltenyi Biotec

From ultrahigh-content imaging to target discovery and validation – join our talk and roundtable discussion

Join the online Spatial Biology Congress to discuss the latest insights into spatial biology on drug development and therapeutic development with world leaders from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as academic institutions. As part of this congress we will present how to identify potential CAR targets by cyclic fluorescence staining with the MACSima™ Imaging Platform and discuss the challenges in preclinical target discovery and validation.

Scientific talk

Ultrahigh-content imaging helps to identify CAR target candidates for the fight against pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Making use of the innovative MICS (MACSima™ Imaging Cyclic Staining) technology, Daniel Schäfer has overcome a major scientific obstacle which so far has impeded the development of effective cellular immunotherapy of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma – the lack of suitable tumor-specific antigens. His research led to the identification of four target candidates among 371 antigens. This in turn resulted in the generation of 32 CARs whose potential for therapeutic approaches has been evaluated. Daniel Schäfer will explain how he identified the potential targets, how CAR T cell activity was evaluated in vitro and, based on that, how promising constructs were used to assess their activity in vivo. Efficacies in pre-clinical studies ranged from stabilized disease to complete tumor eradication.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

12:00–12:30 p.m. BST | 1:00–1:30 p.m. CEST

Dr. Daniel Schäfer

Team Coordinator R&D, Miltenyi Biotec

Dr. Daniel Schäfer is Team Coordinator R&D at Miltenyi Biotec. After studying Biology at the University of Antwerp (Belgium), University of Manchester (UK), and University of Cologne (Germany), he did his Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine at the University Medical Center Göttingen (Germany). At Miltenyi Biotec, Daniel uses his interdisciplinary education and scientific experience to push forward the development of new technologies for CAR T cell therapy, their pre-clinical evaluation and translation into clinical applications.

Roundtable discussion

Overcoming challenges in preclinical target discovery and validation

Target discovery and validation remain a major roadblock slowing down the development of efficient immunotherapies for the fight against cancer. Take the chance and discuss challenges and new ways to overcome these hurdles with Dr. Olaf Hardt, Senior Manager in the R&D department of Miltenyi Biotec.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

12:10–12:40 p.m. BST | 1:10–1:40 p.m. CEST

Dr. Olaf Hardt

Senior Manager R&D, Miltenyi Biotec

Dr. Olaf Hardt is currently Senior Manager in the R&D department of Miltenyi Biotec in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. He is heading the oncology and sample preparation departments where he focuses on immuno-oncology preclinical research, target discovery, as well as oncology-related product development. He is also heading the transgenic unit and animal facility. Olaf Hardt obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Cologne (Germany) in collaboration with Miltenyi Biotec and the IBDML in Marseille (France) before he started as R&D Project Manager at Miltenyi Biotec in 2008.