The Changing Face of Immuno-Oncology Development

It’s been almost a decade since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first checkpoint inhibitor, Bristol Myers Squibb’s YERVOY® (ipilimumab) in 2011. In recent years, the number of clinical trials involving checkpoint inhibitors and other immuno-oncology (IO) therapies has been increasing as Sponsors investigate their use in combination with one another, with radiotherapy, chemotherapies, targeted therapies, cancer vaccines and oncolytic viruses.

Despite the benefits that these combination approaches promise to patients, the sheer number of potential therapies, combinations, and administration regimens poses challenges for Sponsors. In this free webinar, the featured speakers will highlight the issues that Sponsors face in planning and executing combination IO therapy trials and suggest strategies to deliver a more intentional approach and choice of combinations for hypothesis testing in their IO trials.

The session will end in an open question and answer discussion.

Speakers

Jennifer Harris, Vice President, Clinical Development Oncology and Global Head of Immuno-Oncology, Syneos Health

Jennifer Harris serves as head for the Immuno-Oncology (IO) business at Syneos Health. In this role, Harris is responsible for IO strategy and scientific support for the project portfolio. Throughout her 25-year career focused in oncology, Harris has also held clinical positions at major academic centers, the NIH clinical center and held scientific roles within biotech and large pharma.  Over the past 10 years, Harris has focused primarily on the rapidly expanding field of immuno-oncology.  Her pharma experience includes work at Merck & Co, GSK, Dendreon and other oncology focused biotech. Harris earned a Doctor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina.

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Jessica Lee, Managing Director, Consulting, Syneos Health

Jessica B. Lee, PhD is a managing director in Syneos Health Consulting’s Commercial Advisory Group. She has over ten years of experience working in oncology and assisting manufacturers to commercialize oncology therapeutics. She specializes in assisting clients with market opportunity assessments, indication prioritization, therapeutic area growth strategies, portfolio strategies, and product launch and commercialization strategies.  Lee has a PhD in Immunology from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine.

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Francesca Zolezzi, Director, Molecular Profiling, Translational Sciences, Syneos Health

Dr. Francesca Zolezzi is the director of integrated biomarker solutions in the Translational Sciences Early Phase Operations, Syneos Health. She proposes her knowledge and the relevant “omics” platforms to help clients to advance their clinical or preclinical programs in drug development. Zolezzi obtained her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Padova, Italy and a postgraduate degree in Medical Genetics at the University of Verona, Italy.

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