We are currently in the process of creating the 2025 Montagna Symposium Program.

Chaired by Anthony Oro, MD, PhD, Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor at Stanford Medicine, the 2025 Montagna Symposium will focus on emerging paradigms in personalized medicine. Population studies have raised questions about why individuals do not respond to established therapies. Patients are individuals with personalized social, behavioral, and genetic determinants, but knowledge gaps exist regarding how these determinants influence diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous diseases. The goal of this Symposium is to highlight emerging avenues of investigation and streamline their incorporation into clinical medicine for our patients. Program Co-Chairs are Masa Amagai, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine and Vice President for Research, Keio University, and Aimee Payne, MD, PhD, Herbert and Florence Irving Professor and Chair of Dermatology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

2025 Program

(subject to change)

Thursday, October 16

1:00 PM DepartureShuttle Bus from PDX (Reservation required during registration)
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Arrival and Check in
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Opening Reception (Heavy Hors d’oeuvres served)
5:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.Welcome and Introductory Comments

Program Chair: Anthony Oro, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford University)

Symposium Co-Directors:

Tamia Harris-Tryon, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center) 
Sancy Leachman, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Utah)
Dennis Roop, Ph.D. (University of Colorado)

5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.Conference Keynote

Howard Chang, M.D., Ph.D. (Senior Vice President of Research and Chief Scientific Officer, Amgen)
RNA origin of sex biased immunity

The objective is to gain an overview of hurdles and learn about the experience of a leading basic and translational dermatologist. This session sets the tone for the five following sessions focusing on individual platform technologies and disease indications.

7p.m.Dinner On Your Own
8p.m. – 11p.m.Optional Gathering: Outdoor Firepit

 

Friday, October 17

7 a.m. – 8 a.m.Breakfast
8 a.m. – 8:05 a.m.Announcements
8:05 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.Session 1:

Novel Targets for CarT Cell Therapies
Session Moderator: Aimee Payne, M.D., Ph.D. (Columbia University)

While precision immune therapies have revolutionized blood cancer treatment, new evidence indicates their effectiveness in skin autoimmune and cancers as well. Understanding the mechanistic basis of precision immune therapies and the current patient response remains a gap in knowledge that needs to be addressed.

8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.Aimee Payne, M.D., Ph.D. (Columbia University) 

Engineered T cells for autoimmunity: emerging data from human clinical trials

8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m.Discussion
9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.Christoph Ellebrecht, M.D. (University of Pennsylvania)

Controlling T Cell Fate and Function: Therapeutic Applications from Cancer to Autoimmunity

9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.Discussion
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.Jae Choi, M.D., Ph.D. (Northwestern University)
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.Discussion
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.Coffee Break
10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.Michael Girardi, M.D. (Yale University)

Strategies Overcoming Challenges Targeting T Cell Lymphoma

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Discussion
11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.Short Talk and Discussion #1
11:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.Short Talk and Discussion #2
12 p.m. – 1:15pmLunch & NIH/NIAMS Program Officer Updates
1:15 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.Session 2:

Tissue Regeneration Therapeutic Approaches
Session Moderator: Anthony Oro, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford University)

Gaps in our medical armamentarium come from the inability to replace many defective tissues due to genetic disease, injury, excessive fibrosis or age.  New approaches exist to generate the appropriate genetically corrected tissue or reduce fibrosis, but clinical scale and delivery to the patient remain important hurdles.

1:25 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.Anthony Oro, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford University)

Manufacturing Multilineage Tissue Replacement Therapies for Genetic Diseases

1:55 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.Discussion
2:10 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.Luis Garza, M.D., Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University)

Cellular therapy to modify skin identity

2:40 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.Discussion
3:05 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.Trevor Parry, Ph.D. (VP of Research and Scientific Affairs, Krystal Biotech)
3:35 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.Discussion
3:50 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.Coffee Break
4:05 p.m. – 4:35 p.m. Thomas Bollenbach, Ph.D. (Chief Technology Officer at the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI)|BioFabUSA)
4:35 p.m. – 5:05 p.m.Discussion
5:05 p.m. – 5:20 p.m.Short Talk and Discussion #3
5:20 p.m. – 5.35 p.m.Short Talk and Discussion #4
5:35 p.m. – 7 p.m.Dinner
7 p.m. – 8 p.m.Poster Reception and Wine Tasting

 

Saturday, October 18

7 a.m. – 8 a.m.Breakfast
8 a.m. – 8:05 a.m.Announcements
8:05 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.Session 3:

Novel Immodulatory Platforms for Cutaneous Disease
Session Moderator: Masa Amagai, M.D., Ph.D. (Keio University)

Breaking tissue tolerance forms the basis of tissue rejection and pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, but the mechanisms of immune tolerance and therapeutic targets remain poorly validated. This session addresses a gap in knowledge about small molecule and peptide therapies for immunomodulation.

8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.Masa Amagai, M.D., Ph.D. (Keio University)

Converting Pathogenic Autoimmune T Cells into Antigen-Specific Regulatory T Cells as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Pemphigus 

8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m.Discussion
9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.Michael Rosenblum, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco)
9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.Discussion
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.Megan Levings, Ph.D. (University of British Columbia)

Inducing tolerance with regulatory T cell therapy

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.Discussion
10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m.Coffee Break
11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Michel Enamorado, Ph.D. (Mount Sinai Medical Center)

Wired and Guarded: The Neuroimmune Landscape of the Skin

11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.Discussion
11:45 am – 12 pmShort Talk and Discussion #1
12 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.Short Talk and Discussion #2
12:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Lunch (On Your Own)

FREE TIME / CASCADE HIKE

4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.Mentorship Mixer and Reverse Expo

Appetizers Served

6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.Dinner 

Dinner Keynote: TBD

Poster Competition Winners Announced

Travel Award Ceremony:

✔                   Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) Farber Award

✔                   Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (JSID) Award

✔                   Korean Society for Investigative Dermatology (KSID) Award:

✔                   Taiwanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (TSID) Award:

✔                   European Society for Dermatological Research:

✔                   Montagna Symposium Director’s Award

 

 

Sunday, October 19

7 a.m. – 8 a.m.Breakfast
8 a.m. – 8:05 a.m.Announcements
8:05 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.Session 4:

Novel Cancer Therapeutics for Cutaneous Oncology 
Session Moderator: Niro Anandasabapathy, M.D., Ph.D. (Weill Cornell Medicine) 

This session highlights emerging novel cancer therapy platforms that address gaps in knowledge regarding these future therapies. Understanding the mechanistic basis of novel cancer therapeutics and patient responses will help generate new and more effective technologies.

8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.Niro Anandasabapathy, M.D., Ph.D. (Weill Cornell Medicine) 

PD-1 and memory T cells, a smoking gun in ICB cancer efficacy and toxicity

8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m.Discussion
9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.Y. Erin Chen, M.D., Ph.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

How are commensal skin bacteria sensed by the immune system?

9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.Discussion
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.Derin Keskin, Ph.D. (Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University)
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.Discussion
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.Coffee Break
10:45 a.m. – 11:15a.m.Anne Lynn Chang, M.D. (Stanford University)
11:15a.m. – 11:30a.m.Discussion
11:30a.m. – 11:45a.m.Short Talk and Discussion #1
11:45 a.m. – 12p.m.Short Talk and Discussion #2
12:15 p.m. – 1:15pm Lunch and Industry Leaders Panel (Facilitated by Dr. William Ju, President of the AID (Advancing Innovations in Dermatology)
1:15 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.Session 5:

RNA Medicines for Cutaneous Disorders
Session Moderator: Alain Hovnanian, M.D., Ph.D. (University of ParisThis exciting final session focuses on the dramatic shift in research, clinical development, and commercial activity to exploit the many physiological roles of RNA for use in medicine. These include RNA vaccines, siRNAs, circular RNAs, and splice site modifiers for cancer, immunomodulation and genodermatoses. Identifying targets and manufacturing clinical scale RNA therapies remains a gap in knowledge.

1:25 p.m. – 1:55 p.m. Alain Hovnanian, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Paris)
1:55 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.Discussion
2:10 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.John Harris, M.D., Ph.D. (UMass Chan Medical)

From Nobel discoveries to clinical breakthrough: How RNA interference is transforming treatments for inflammatory skin diseases

2:40 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.Discussion
3:05 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.William Greenleaf, Ph.D. (Stanford University)
3:35 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.Discussion
3:50 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.Short Talk and Discussion #3
4:05 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.Short Talk and Discussion #4
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.Salmon Bake Dinner

Shuttle departs at 5:15 p.m. and returns 7:30 p.m.

 

Monday, October 20

6 a.m. – 8 a.m.Breakfast and Depart
8:30 a.m.Bus Departs for PDX Airport

 

 

 

 

2024 Support

Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by a grant (5R13AR009431-57) from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

The Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin gratefully acknowledges:

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund serves and strengthens society by nurturing a diverse group of leaders in biomedical sciences to improve human health through education and powering discovery in frontiers of greatest need

The Leakey Foundation is the leading nonprofit funder of human origins research. This year, they are providing award travel support for speakers from the field of anthropology. Together, we are advancing our mission to explore and explain our shared human story.

The Leakey Foundation combines science and education to illuminate our past, understand our present, and inspire a better future. Watch “Still So Much to Discover”.

The LEO Foundation   

The Foundation provides philanthropic grants with the aim to support the best international research in skin diseases and make Denmark a global beacon for skin research.

The Skin of Color Society (SOCS) is the world’s leading professional dermatologic organization dedicated to achieving health equity and excellence in patient care through research, education, mentorship, and advocacy. SOCS is committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in the field of dermatology to advance patient care.

This Symposium is supported in part by an educational grant from Pfizer

This Symposium is supported in part by an educational grant from Incyte

This Symposium is supported in part by an educational grant from Abbvie

 

2024 Sponsor Acknowledgement

We thank our generous sponsors for making the 2024 Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin possible.

Champion Level Sponsors:

 

Castle
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

 

 

Sustainer Level Sponsors:

Eli Lilly and Company
Janssen J&J
SkinMedica

 

Benefactor Level Sponsors:

Amgen
Bristol Meyers Squibb
David M.C. Ju Foundation
Incyte
Newmedical Technology
Novartis
Regeneron
UCB

 

 

Patron Level Sponsors:

Candela
KrystalBio
Oregon Dermatology Society
Sanofi

 

 

Associate Level Sponsors:

 

CeraVe
Dermavant
La Roche-Posay
Lumo Imaging
SkylineDx
Science Signaling