Summit Focuses on Clinical and Research Advances in Biologic Therapies

The biennial Biologic Therapies Summit took place in Cleveland last spring, but the education continues via webcast through July 9, 2027. The webcasts and continuing medical education credits are free, thanks to the mission that drives the health system’s R.J. Fasenmyer Center for Clinical Immunology at Cleveland Clinic.

“Many meetings across the country have archived virtual materials available, and a number of them broadcast live virtual presentations,” says Leonard Calabrese, DO, Director of the Fasenmyer Center. “We are the only meeting of this type that provides the meeting in person at the lowest cost per credit hour of any national meeting of its kind and also broadcasts it live for free with full CME credit. Our meeting, which has been going on biannually for 25 years, was also one of the first meetings in this educational space to achieve its content virtually for CME credit, absolutely free. Medical education is expensive, and there are many people who are either too busy to travel or find travel to be a financial burden.”

The ability to accomplish these educational goals has been made possible because of philanthropic support of the R. J. Fasenmyer Center of Clinical Immunology, which Dr. Calabrese has led since its inception. Clinical immunologists from areas across the globe are a particular focus among those who benefit, he adds. “We intentionally reach out to rheumatology societies in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa to let them know that this free medical education is available to them.”

The recent conference took place May 8-10, 2025 along with Vasculitis 2025, a separate one-day meeting that focused on emerging care approaches for this family of challenging diseases. New to Biologics this year was a poster session for trainees, who came from across the country. “It’s going to be a fixture at all of our meetings, because it brings along the next generation and allows them to interact with world leaders in the fi eld and receive counsel on their work and their careers,” says Dr. Calabrese.

Since the inception of the Fasenmyer Center, Cleveland Clinic has been dedicated to excellence in immunologic clinical care, research and education. While a variety of educational opportunities are available worldwide that target different audiences and levels of scientific complexity, Cleveland Clinic tailors its immunologic education efforts for “busy clinicians who practice clinical immunology, and with particular reference to rheumatologists, because rheumatologists have the largest spectrum of immune-mediated immunologic diseases,” he says.

Session Lineup

To access CME modules for Biologic Therapies Summit XI, click here.

Plenary Session: Advances In Basic and Translational Immunology for the Clinical Rheumatologist

Learning objectives: Critically appraise and integrate clinical data on the efficacy and toxicity of CAR T-cell therapies, cellular therapies and other advanced treatments to identify and propose strategies that could lead to long-term remission or cure of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Evaluate IL-17 inhibitors and IL-23 in treating immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Explore and interpret the latest advances in IL-23 inhibitors for IMiDs and assess their potential for treating other inflammatory conditions.

Presentations

"Immune Profiling of Patients With Autoimmune Diseases: Defining Metrics of Immune Dysregulation" — Deepak Rao, MD, PhD

"New Insights Into the Role of EBV in Autoimmune Diseases" — William Robinson, MD, PhD

"IL-23 — Advances in Basic and Clinical Immunology" — Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH

"The Evolution of Immune Effector Cell Therapies for the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases" — Maximilian F. Konig, MD

Emerging Treatments in IMiDS

Learning objectives: Describe the process by which “safety signals” emerge. Highlight case studies of where this has gone awry. Recommend solutions for a forward-looking safety agenda. Examine the mechanism of action of JAK inhibitors in modulating immune responses and identify the potential toxicities and adverse effects, particularly infection risks. Critically evaluate emerging therapeutic strategies for difficult-to-treat psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,
systemic lupus erythematosus and inflammatory myopathies, and propose innovative approaches to optimize patient outcomes based on current advancements.

Presentations

"Signal and the Noise: Safety in Rheumatology" — Michael Putman, MD, MSci "PsA" — Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH
"Difficult to Treat RA (D2TRA)" — Jack Cush, MD
"Emerging Treatments in Lupus Nephritis" — Michelle Petri, MD, MPH
"Advances in the Treatment of Inflammatory Myopathies" — Rohit Aggarwal, MD, MS

Developments in the Prevention and Treatment of Complications From Advanced Therapies

Learning objectives: Investigate and differentiate between infectious complications from biologic therapies and immune-related adverse events associated with checkpoint inhibitor therapies while formulating effective prevention and management strategies.

Presentations

"Infectious Complications From Biologic Therapy" — Cassandra Calabrese, DO
"Immune-Related Adverse Events From Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: Targeted Therapies" — Noha Abdelwahab Hassan, MD, PhD
"Moneyball Rheumatology – Making the Most Out of Our Time and Data for Better Care of Our Patients" — Jack Cush, MD