Preliminary Program

08:45

Welcome

Norbert Krug and Armin Braun, Fraunhofer ITEM

Session 1: RNA therapeutics for lung disease

Chair: Armin Braun, Fraunhofer ITEM

09:00

Modulation of host immunity in the airways with interferon lambda encoding mRNA

Christian Plank, Ethris (Germany) 

09:30

New approaches for therapeutic pulmonary RNA delivery

Olivia Merkel, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich (Germany)

Session 2: Understanding and fighting infections

Chair: Franziska Dahlmann, Fraunhofer ITEM

10:00

Disrupting cellular metal homeostasis to break antibiotic resistance against drug-resistant bacterial pathogens

Mark von Itzstein, Griffith University (Australia)

10:30

Coffee break

11:00

Small molecule inhibitors of hemolysin for the treatment of S. aureus lung infections

Mark Brönstrup, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig (Germany)

11:30

Bacterial lysates for preventing respiratory tract infections: Is it all about vaccination?

Edouard Baulier, OM Pharma (Switzerland)

12:00

Safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a novel MVA-SARS-2-ST vaccine candidate administered as inhalation boost in SARS-CoV-2 immunized adults – current status

Jens Hohlfeld, Fraunhofer ITEM

Respiratory infection: A “missing link” in the pathogenesis underlying COPD exacerbations and disease progression

Alison Humbles, Roche (Switzerland)

13:00

Lunch break

Session 3: Drug delivery to airways and lung

Chair: Jens Hohlfeld, Fraunhofer ITEM

14:00

Delivering antibacterial therapeutics to the lung: Current challenges and opportunities?

Sven Hobbie, University of Zurich (Switzerland)

14:30

Improving drug delivery to the lung

Gerhard Pohlmann, Fraunhofer ITEM

15:00

Pharmaceutical development of biological molecules with an emphasis on peptides to be administered to lung

Andrea Weiland, Explicat (Germany)

Session 4: SPRIND: A quantum shift for new antiviral agents

Chair: Armin Braun, Fraunhofer ITEM

15:30

Jano Costard, Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation SPRIND, Leipzig (Germany)

15:45

iGUARD – translational development of antiviral RNAi

Philippe Vollmer Barbosa, Fraunhofer ITEM

16:00

Coffee break

16:30

Programmable antiviral platform based on DNA nanotechnology – The VIRUS TRAP

Alba Monferrer, Capsitec (Germany)

16:45

RNA-drugs: Targeting viral RNA structures with small molecules

Julia Weigand, Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany)

Poster session

Chair: Thomas Tschernig, Saarland University (Germany)

18:15

Guided tours to different non-clinical and clinical departments of Fraunhofer ITEM:

• PCLS
• Lung function and IPL
• In-vitro inhalation
• Biomedical engineering
• Pathology
• CRC Hannover

19:00

Awarding of poster prizes

19:05

Outdoor barbecue at CRC Hannover

21:30

Summary & conclusions day 1

Armin Braun, Fraunhofer ITEM

08:00

Guided tours to different non-clinical and clinical departments of Fraunhofer ITEM:

• PCLS
• Lung function and IPL
• In-vitro inhalation
• Biomedical engineering
• Pathology
• CRC Hannover

Session 5: Onset, development and exacerbation of lung fibrosis

Chair: Antje Prasse, Fraunhofer ITEM

09:00

Targeting the Wnt pathway in fibrosis: Where are we today?

Hannes Hentze, EDDC- Experimental Drug Development Centre (Singapore)

09:20

Strategies to target WNT-signaling in pulmonary fibrosis

Adnan Azim, AstraZeneca (United Kingdom)

09:40

Role of CCN proteins in fibrosis

Ole Kaasbøll, Tribune Therapeutics (Norway)

10:00

Coffee break

10:30

Long-term culture of PCLS for compound testing

Nataliia Artysh, Fraunhofer ITEM

10:50

Developing anti-fibrotic biologics in IPF and beyond

Andrew Thorley, Genentech (United States of America)

11:10

New treatment options for lung fibrosis

Malgorzata Wygrecka, CSL Behring (Germany)

11:30

Fingerfood

Session 6: The role of regeneration in COPD

Chair: tbd.

12:30

Drug discovery in lung repair and regeneration

Irina Shalashova, Boehringer Ingelheim (Germany)

12:50

RLS-0071, a novel dual-targeting anti-inflammatory agent, demonstrates proof of mechanism in a Phase 1b inhaled LPS study significantly reducing lung neutrophils

Saskia Carstensen, Fraunhofer ITEM

13:10

Snacks to go – end of the workshop