Pre-Conference Workshop Day - Tuesday November 4, 2025

8:00 am Check-In & Coffee

9:00 am Workshop A: Narrowing the Translatability Gap

Overcoming Species-Specific Limitations in Preclinical Models for Human Disease

  • Paul Ashton Chief Executive Officer, Inflammasome Therapeutics

Synopsis

One of the greatest challenges in developing inflammasome-targeted therapies is the lack of preclinical models that accurately reflect the complexity of human inflammasome biology. Murine models, while widely used, often fail to capture key species-specific differences in the multi-protein complex components such as NLRP1 and CARD8, as well as the differential regulation of caspases and downstream products.

Engage in this dynamic 3-hour workshop and take part in the discussion on:

  • Evaluating the limitations of mouse models in reflecting human inflammasome activity and disease progression
  • Investigating the impact of cell type, tissue microenvironment, and activation thresholds on human inflammasome responses
  • Utilizing iPSC-derived macrophages and microglia to create human-reliant in vitro models of inflammasome activity
  • Establishing reproducible, standardized models such as organoids that can accurately predict clinical outcomes for inflammasome therapies

12:00 pm Lunch Break & Networking

1:00 pm Workshop B: Establishing the Correct Endpoints

Highlighting the Bottlenecks & Solutions for Inflammasome Target Indication Assessment

Synopsis

Currently, biomarkers in inflammasome research do not reliably indicate how or whether a target contributes to a specific disease pathway. From neurological diseases to metabolic disorders, there have been cytokine-based readouts that lack specificity, and the mechanistic link between biomarker presence and disease

progression remains unclear.

Join this comprehensive 3-hour workshop and take part in the discussion on:

  • Uncovering the limitations of current biomarker strategies in inflammasome research to focus on the gap between biomarker detection and validated target contribution
  • Examining the specific case of NLRP3 to evaluate which biomarkers have been historically used and what they are measuring to understand how they fall short in providing disease-specific insights
  • Reaching beyond research efforts in cytokines such as IL-1B and IL-18 to identify more precise, pathway-relevant biomarkers
  • Brainstorming integrative omics approaches and translational techniques aimed at refining biomarker selection to better support drug development and patient stratification

4:00 pm End of Pre-Conference Workshop Day