The Science of HBV Cure Meeting 2023 Scientific Programme

June, 2023

2

Programme
Welcome Remarks by the Conference Chairman
Opening Symposium: Overview of HBV Functional Cure
Moderators: Prof. Lim Seng Gee View Bio
Opening Lecture: Are we winning the battle against CHB? Prevention vs treatment
Prof. Geoffrey Dusheiko, UK  View Bio
ICE-HBV strategy for functional cure
Prof. John Tavis, USA View Bio
Virologal Insights into functional cure
Moderators: Prof. Peter Revill View Bio and Prof. John Tavis
Overview of virology of HBV and targets for therapy
Prof. John Tavis, USA  View Bio
HBsAg loss: cccDNA silencing, loss or both?
Prof. Massimo Levrero, France View Bio
Directly Targeting cccDNA: are we there yet? (recording)
Prof. Fabien Zoulim, France View Bio
HBV Viral Integration : Implications for a HBV Cure
Dr. Thomas Tu, Australia View Bio
Free Paper: Long-read DNA sequencing reveals large reduction in HBV integration burden in HBsAg-negative patients
Dr. Cameron Soulette,  Gilead Sciences Inc View Bio
Free paper: Illuminating the Live-Cell Dynamics of Hepatitis B Virus covalent closed circular DNA using CRISPR-Tag
Dr. Xiaonan, Zhang, University of Canberra, Australia
Lunch
Immunological insights into functional cure Chair and
Moderator: Prof. Markus Cornberg and Prof. Jonathan Karn 
Interrogating the intrahepatic microenvironment using FNA
Dr. Loey Mak, Hong Kong  View Bio
The liver transcriptome and HBV functional cure (recording)
Dr. Ram DasGupta, Singapore View Bio
Can innate immune mechanisms lead to HBV cure: lessons from HIV
Prof. Jonathan Karn, USA  View Bio
Free Paper: Decreased intrahepatic  NK exhaustion and increased activation with decreasing HBsAg levels in CHB patients
Dr. Sriram Narayanan View Bio
Strategies to reduce viral replication Chair and
Moderator: Prof. Geoff Dusheiko and Dr. Loey Mak
Capsid inhibitors: where are they in the combination for HBV cure?
Prof. Man Fung Yuen, Hong Kong View Bio
Nucleoside analogues: are the necessary for functional cure?
Prof. Henry Chan, Hong Kong View Bio
Invited Oral & Free Paper Presentations
Invited Presentation: Development of a Highly Potent Next Generation Core Inhibitor for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Infection (Recording)
Dr. Katie Kitrinos, Assembly Biosciences Inc View Bio
Free paper: Comparison of hepatitis B reactivation in patients with resolved hepatitis B infection receiving rituximab or non-rituximab based immunosuppressive therapy: does the presence of anti-HBs antibody reduce the risk of reactivation?
Dr. Valerie Shu Xian Yeap, Singapore
Invited Presentation: ASC22 (Envafolimab) a First-in-Class subcutaneously administered Antibody for HBV functional cure: Learnings from pre-clinical and clinical studies
Dr Jinzi Wu, Acletis Pharma Inc.
Tea Break
Viewpoint Chair and
Moderator: Prof. Ed Gane and Prof. Pietro Lampertico
Achieving functional cure without immunotherapy
Prof. Pei-Jer Chen View Bio
A roadmap for Biomarkers for HBV functional cure
Prof. Peter Revill, Australia  View Bio
Invited Oral & Free Paper Presentations
Invited Presentation: HBsAg Next Qualitative assay on-therapy reactivity predicts HBsAg rebound 24-weeks after therapy discontinuation
Dr. Mark Anderson, Abbott Diagnostics  View Bio
Free paper: Deep Serum Proteome Profiling Revealed Novel Prognostic Markers for HBsAg Loss
Dr Zi Jie Lim, Singapore
Invited presentation: Exploratory Biomarkers for HBV – insights gained and future directions
Dr. Gavin Cloherty, Abbott Diagnostics  View Bio
Closing remarks

June, 2023

3

Programme
Special Lecture
Chair and Moderator: Prof. Peter Revill and Prof Pei Jer Chen
Absolute cure : a dream coming closer?
Prof. Fabien Zoulim View Bio
Reducing viral antigens Chair and
Moderator: Prof. Peter Revill and Prof Pei Jer Chen
Anti-sense RNA strategies: ASO versus siRNA
Prof. Man Fung Yuen View Bio
Removing viral antigens using monoclonal antibodies
Prof. Ed Gane View Bio
Invited Presentation: The role of NAPs in HBV Functional Cure
Dr. Andrew Valliant, Replicor Inc View Bio,
Tea Break
Invited Oral & Free Paper Presentations
Chair and Moderator: Prof. Peter Revill and Prof. Pei Jer Chen
Invited Presentation: Phase 1 data on Roche Assets in HBV
Dr. Klaus Kuhlbusch, Roche View Bio
Free Paper: Efficacy and safety of bepirovirsen in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection: changes in HBV DNA in patients not on stable nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy
Prof. Man Fung Yuen View Bio
Invited Presentation: The Development of VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 for  the Treatment of chronic HBV Infection
Dr. Carey Hwang, Vir Biotechnology, Inc View Bio
Invited presentation: Update on AB-729, an RNAi therapeutic in Phase 2 development as a key component of a functional cure strategy for cHBV (Recording)
Dr Karen Sims, Arbutus Biopharma Corporation
Q&A
Novel Therapies
Chair and Moderator: Prof. Geoff Dusheiko & Dr. Thomas Tu
Novel agents and novel mechanisms
Prof. Ed Gane View Bio
Free paper: First demonstration of CRISPR-CAS13B-mediated suppression of Hepatitis B Virus replication and Protein Expression – Pre-Clinical investigations of a new therapeutic approach
– Ms Laura McCoullough, Australia
Q&A
Lunch
Delta Cure: Chair and
Moderator: Prof. Massimo Levrero
What is Delta cure and how to achieve it?
Prof. Pietro Lampertico View Bio
Immunology Forum Chair and
Moderator: Prof. Ed Gane and Prof. Antonio Bertoletti
Adaptive immune recovery in patients with low qHBsAg
Prof. Markus Cornberg View Bio, Germany
Landscape of immune based therapies for functional cure
Prof. Antonio Bertoletti View Bio
Can combination immunotherapy lead to improved functional cure
Prof. Markus Cornberg View Bio
Invited Presentation: A Novel Arenavirus-Vectored Therapeutic Vaccine for HBV Cure.
Dr. Scott Balsitis, Gilead Sciences Inc View Bio
Invited Presentation: How will HBV Cures get to patients? The varied challenges of access to medicines in the 21st century
Ms Cammy Yuen, GlaxoSmithKline
Q&A
Tea Break
Combination Therapy Forum 1
Chair and
Moderator: Prof. Pietro Lampertico 
When should we start immunotherapy? De novo combination or sequential?
Prof. Geoff Dusheiko, Prof. Markus Cornberg, Prof. Antonio Bertoletti, Prof. Ed Gane, Dr. Carey Hwang, Prof. Jonathan Karn
Combination Therapy Forum 2
Chair and
Moderator: Prof. Lim Seng Gee
Should siRNA or ASO be the backbone for combination therapy in functional cure?
Prof. Peter Revill, Prof. Yuen Man Fung, Prof. Massimo Levrero, Prof. John Tavis, Prof. Henry Chan, Dr. Dickens Theodore, Dr. Klaus Kuhlbusch
Closing remarks from Chairman