Frontiers and Opportunities: Highlights of the 2nd Annual Conference of the Chinese Antibody Society

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Chinese Antibody Society (CAS) convened the second annual conference in Cambridge, MA, USA on 29 April 2018. More than 600 members from around the world attended the meeting. Invited speakers discussed the latest advancements in therapeutic antibodies with an emphasis on the progress made in China. The meeting covered a vast variety of topics including the current status of therapeutic antibodies, the progress of immuno-oncology, and biosimilars in China. The conference presentations also included the development of several novel antibodies such as antibodies related to weight loss, T-cell receptor-mimicking antibodies that target intracellular antigens, and tumor-targeting antibodies that utilize both innate and adaptive immune pathways. At the meeting, the CAS announced the launch of its official journal—Antibody Therapeutics—in collaboration with Oxford University Press. The conference was concluded by a panel discussion on how to bring a therapeutic drug developed in China to the USA for clinical trials. Statement of Significance The CAS convened the second annual conference in Cambridge, MA, USA on 29 April 2018. The meeting covered a variety of topics, including therapeutic antibodies being tested in clinical trials, new antibodies (e.g., programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 inhibitors) being developed in China, and T-cell receptor-mimicking antibodies that target intracellular antigens.