Lauren Higdon
Director of Biomarker and Discovery Research Immune Tolerance Network
My background is in T cell biology. I am part of the Immune Tolerance Network, planning and coordinating mechanistic analysis of samples from ITN clinical trials in type 1 diabetes.
Seminars
Tuesday 23rd March 2027
Evaluating the Current Toolbox of Tolerance Biomarkers to Identify Preclinical & Clinical Markers for Mechanism of Action & Efficacy to Determine the Success of Tolerance Approaches
After 10 years, biomarkers of tolerance remain the field’s most persistent open question, and with several programs now advancing into later-stage trials, the pressure to resolve it is significantly higher. This session puts you in the room with the people wrestling with the same problem in their own program right now: to compare notes, stress test current approaches, and leave with sharper ideas to apply to your own biomarker strategy.
This session will:
- Examine why patient heterogeneity has made biomarkers so difficult to identify, to clarify why an unbiased broad search often loses signal in the noise, and understand why a more targeted approach may be needed
- Analyze candidate biomarkers already in use or under investigation, such as autoantibodies, cytokines, cell-free DNA, and TCR repertoire changes, to compare their relative strengths, limitations, and readiness
- Review how combining multiple biomarkers, and improving how quickly they can be read out, could strengthen confidence in a clinical endpoint to weigh this against the practical demands of trial timelines and investor expectations
