Katie McCauley
Director - Portfolio Strategy & Fibrosis Research Lead Novartis
Dr. Katie McCauley is a Director of Portfolio Strategy and Fibrosis Research Lead at Novartis, where she spearheads the strategic direction and scientific leadership of anti-fibrotic drug discovery programs spanning autoimmune, hepatic, and pulmonary diseases. Since joining Novartis in 2019, she has built and led cross-functional teams of 20+ scientists, driving fibrosis research from early discovery to the clinic.
A translational scientist with expertise in regenerative medicine and systems biology, Dr. McCauley completed her postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School (Allon Klein lab), where she pioneered single-cell genomics approaches to study epithelial repair in pulmonary fibrosis. She earned her PhD in Molecular Medicine from Boston University (Darrell Kotton lab), developing stem cell-derived models of airway disease. Bridging cutting-edge science with strategic drug development, Dr. McCauley is shaping the next generation of therapies for fibrotic disorders.
Seminars
As interest grows in developing antifibrotics with cross-indication potential, this workshop critically examines whether a true “pan-antifibrotic” is biologically and clinically feasible. Through real-world data, mechanistic comparisons, and forward-looking trial design strategies, we’ll explore what it would take to deliver a truly universal fibrosismodifying
therapy.
This workshop will gather experts to discuss:
- Reviewing trials of known antifibrotic targets (e.g., LOXL2, galectin-3, autotaxin, integrins) and why translation across organs often fails
- Clarifying what pan-antifibrotic really means, is it shared MoA, cross-organ signal, or a generalized fibrosis resolution mechanism?
- How to design development programs (e.g., patient populations, biomarkers, endpoints) to test and support pan-organ antifibrotic claims in Phase 2 and beyond.
This panel brings together experts from across various disease indications to explore the evolving scientific, translational, and clinical landscape of antifibrotic drug development to provide forward-looking perspective on where antifibrotic science is heading, which challenges are most urgent to overcome, and how industry and academia can collaborate more effectively to accelerate progress across diverse indication.
Discussion Topics Include:
- Emerging Key scientific breakthroughs and novel therapeutic targets shaping the future of antifibrotic drug development across multiple organ systems.
- Identify the key translational and clinical challenges hindering progress, including biomarker validation, patient stratification, and trial design optimization
- How emerging antifibrotic therapies can be integrated into existing treatment paradigms and the potential for combination strategies to improve patient outcomes
