Discovery & Development Europe 2026
Estrel Congress Centre, Berlin, Germany
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From Target to Candidate. Now.
The Timeline is About to Collapse.
Drug Discovery Europe is where artificial intelligence, advanced biology and translational science converge to transform the earliest stages of drug discovery. Over 1,000 senior scientists, R&D leaders and technology innovators from pharma, biotech and AI-driven platforms. Two days in Berlin built around the questions the field is actually asking in 2026.
Networking & knowledge-sharing is at the heart of what we do, with 700 pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings and over 12 hours of networking solutions don't miss the opportunity to connect with 1,000 leaders from across pharma, biotech, regulatory and academia.
Engaging Thought Leadership
Experience over 200 interactive discussions, thought leadership debates, and collaborative roundtables, with insights from industry leaders to benchmark your research & development pipeline.
Global Technology Showcase
An international exhibition showcasing cutting-edge technologies and services from premier providers in the scientific field.
Networking Emphasis
Unparalleled networking opportunities, including personalised 1-2-1 meetings, a start-up zone, vibrant drinks reception, gala dinner, and informal gatherings to foster meaningful connections.
Gala Dinner
Prepare for an exclusive evening at London’s Science Museum, where you’ll enjoy a sumptuous three-course meal, engaging networking activities, and surprise entertainment—all set against an enchanting backdrop that seamlessly blends the wonders of science with sophisticated elegance.
Start-up Zones & Awards Ceremony
Inspiring poster displays and presentations unveiling the latest breakthroughs from emerging biotech, pharma, and start-up companies.



leading pharma, biotech, regulatory & academic delegates
Key Event Highlights
An unmissable journey awaits you: from celebrated keynote speakers and insightful fireside chats, to an exclusive gala dinner at London's Science Museum. Discover the moments that will transform your NextGen Biomed experience.
Explore dynamic panels, engaging roundtables, and hands-on workshops designed to drive innovation and foster collaboration, including:
Panel Discussion: What Is The Next Game Changer In Antibody Engineering?
Moderator: Karen Silence, Head Preclinical Product Development, ArgenX
Panellists include Berit Olsen Krogh, Senior Research Fellow; and Lundbeck Andrew Buchanan, Principal Scientist, AstraZeneca
Roundtable: Regulatory Insights On Bringing A Peptide To Human Trials
Moderator: Paul Reid, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Celtic Bio
Workshop: Development Of Targeted Delivery Systems
Two Presentations, followed by a Panel Discussion on 'The Next Chapter Of Oligonucleotide Delivery'
Moderator: Steve Hood, Senior Director, Oligonucleotide ADME Strategy, GSK
Panel Discussion: Navigating The Paradigm Shift Towards Greener Approaches
Moderator: Walter Cabri, Full Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Bologna
Panellists include Daniel Sejer Pedersen, Chemical Development Specialist CMC API Development, Novo Nordisk;
Anna Maria Papini, Full Professor & Group Leader, University of Florence;
Louis Diorazio, Senior Principal Scientist, New Modalities, AstraZeneca;
Alessandra Tolomelli, Associate Professor, University of Bologna
Presentation: How The RNA Technologies Could Help To Prevent Infectious Diseases And Could Be Applied To Various Chronic Disease Immunotherapies?
Presented by: Daniel Larocque, Innovation Lead, Innovation and Emerging Science, Sanofi
Who is Speaking at NextGen Biomed 2025?
Interested in Sponsoring NextGen Biomed?
Become a driving force in accelerating the next generation of biologics and immunotherapy medicines to patients. NextGen Biomed offers a unique platform to enhance your brand visibility and connect with thousands of pharma, biotech, and R&D experts. Our branded event opportunities, immersive experiences, and content services enable you to engage, educate, and collaborate with the community shaping the future of biomedicine today.
Interested in Sponsoring NextGen Biomed?
Become a driving force in accelerating the next generation of biologics and immunotherapy medicines to patients. NextGen Biomed offers a unique platform to enhance your brand visibility and connect with thousands of pharma, biotech, and R&D experts. Our branded event opportunities, immersive experiences, and content services enable you to engage, educate, and collaborate with the community shaping the future of biomedicine today.
Our Esteemed Sponsors for NextGen Biomed 2025
Gold Sponsors
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Network & Programme Sponsors
Start-Ups
The 1-2-1s are the best thing about Oxford Global events, well organised and good number of relevant contacts. Good high level contacts from big companies.
Advanced Therapies Specialist Team Leader,
Genscript
Biologics 2024 has been one of the best events I have attended so far in my career.
Territorial Sales Manager UK,
ACROBiosystems Co., Ltd.
Impressed by the effort to bring people together.
Business Development Director,
Bioassay
Nice set-up, with good support for exhibitors
Director of Client Relations,
ImmunoPrecise
The start-up zone provides a unique opportunity for you to exhibit, network, and pitch to our global audience of pharma, biotech, and investment professionals.
It's designed for start-ups from across the biologics space, working on cutting-edge therapies, innovative platform technologies, products, and solutions and is an ideal platform to share your business plans and promote your science.
There are two options, based on the type of your organisation with prices starting from £1,500 (+VAT) for companies with own therapeutic research pipeline and registration from £3,500 (+VAT) available for companies offering solutions, services or platform technologies.
For further information and to get started submit the application form below.
Criteria:
To qualify your company must be:
- Therapeutic Start-Up, Emerging Technology OR Service Start-Up
- Operating No More Than 5 Years
- 0 – 30 employees
- Pre-Series A Funding
Successful applications receive:
- 1 Full Conference Pass
- 10-Minute Presentation Opportunity
- 1x1m Space in Start-Up Zone
- Logo Featured on Event Website & App as a Participating Start-Up
- Ability to Arrange Peer to Peer Meetings via the Congress App
The NextGen Biomed Best Poster Presentation Competition & Award honours and celebrates outstanding individual performance for a scientific work.
If you're an early career or established scientist (incl. PhD students & PostDocs) then find out how you can take part.
The deadline for submissions is 13th January 2025.

Key Event Highlights
An unmissable journey awaits you: from a high-energy AI & Digitalisation Zone to celebrated keynote speakers and insightful roundtable discussions. Discover the moments that will transform your Drug Discovery experience.
What the Programme Covers
The full drug discovery value chain, from the moment a target is identified to the point a candidate is ready for development.
The programme is designed so that a computational chemist, a translational scientist, a neuroscience lead and an automation engineer each find the sessions that speak directly to their work. And then cross into each other's tracks for the sessions that connect them.

Make the Case for Berlin
We’ve created two ready-to-use, highly targeted letter templates to help you make a compelling case for attending. Each one is addressed to your manager, easy to personalise, and built around a clear, outcomes‑focused business rationale.
Programme
Day
AI-Driven Drug Discovery Platforms: Real Value, Real Limits
Panel DiscussionDigitalisation Including Generative AI – Case Study From Sanofi
Industry PresentationThe Real Impact Of AI On Drug Discovery Workflows
Panel Discussion• AI in:
o Drug design
o High throughput screening
o Hit finding
• Productivity gains, limits, and evolution of data/models
• Industry case studies on generative AI: what worked, why, and data sources
• Measuring success and identifying next steps for improvement
Palto Therapeutics Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationBreaking Screening Barriers: GenAI and Robotics Powering Next-Generation Molecule Discovery
Industry PresentationWhile the industry races to screen faster and bigger, at Iktos we’ve chosen a different path - we don’t screen, we design. Using generative AI, we create novel molecules tailored to the desired properties from the start. The true challenge, however, lies in making what we imagine at a reasonable cost and speed. By combining AI-driven design with synthetic feasibility prediction and automated chemistry, we’ve bridged the gap between virtual and real molecules. In this talk, we show how this approach redefines drug discovery - with tangible, made-in-the-lab examples.
WuXi AppTec Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationCandidate Optimisation With Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modelling
Industry Presentation• During lead optimization, PBPK models incorporating human in vitro parameters can predict the oral bioavailability of drugs, if the mechanisms limiting the oral exposure of a drug are known.
• This presentation describes how PBPK models can be used for hypothesis generation to identify mechanisms limiting drug exposure in preclinical species.
Leveraging Affinity Screening for Hit Discovery
Industry PresentationEmerging modalities and genetics driven target selection have reshaped our early discovery portfolio whilst business pressures insist on cycle time compression. AstraZeneca’s response is a synergistic toolbox of affinity based screening approaches whose complementary strengths accelerate internal hit discovery. This presentation introduces the toolkit, how it’s deployed, and the impact it’s having.
AI-Guided Discovery of IAM1363: A Clinical-Stage, Next-Generation HER2 Type II Inhibitor with High Selectivity and Brain Penetrance
Industry PresentationIAM1363 is a potential best-in-class type II HER2 inhibitor with broad activity across HER2 mutants, >5,000-fold selectivity over EGFR, preferential tumor enrichment, and robust brain penetrance. Enabled by Iambic’s AI/ML and high-throughput platform, IAM1363 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b clinical trial.
Improving The Efficiency And Effectiveness By Implementing FAIR Guiding Principles For Pharmaceutical R&D Data
Industry Presentation• Improving the efficiency and effectiveness by implementing the FAIR guiding principles for scientific data
• Tools enabling FAIR data
• Fair as a machine learning & AI enabler
• Benefits of FAIR in pharma
Drug Discovery a:head: A Human Brain Organoid Screening Platform
Industry PresentationChemical Space Generation, Exploration & Visualisation
Industry PresentationThe size of the virtually explorable chemical space is expanding due to the application of novel digital workflows. Effective selection of quality monomers, scalable information encoding, and search engines for multi-modality knowledge extraction are keys to explore >billion-size collections at low cost while extracting hits with desirable profiles. This talk will focus on how we create and explore our chemical know-how with Nebula, AbbVie’s tailored chemical space platform.
Futures Of Small Molecule Discovery
Industry Presentation• This presentation will outline four alternative future scenarios for synthetic origin molecule research.
• It will describe a breakthrough scenario enabling rapid druggability of all biological targets and accelerated development timelines.
• It will present a pragmatic scenario where progress continues incrementally without major technological disruption.
• It will examine a constrained future where geopolitical pressures limit innovation and redirect research priorities.
• It will explore a disruptive convergence of biology and digital technologies driven by AI and non-traditional players.
• It will conclude by highlighting key uncertainties and factors shaping the future of small molecule discovery.
Multitarget Ligands for Multifactorial Diseases
Industry Presentation• Multifactorial diseases: cancer, neurological disease (Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s), microbial illness
• Multiple Targeting Drugs/Ligands (MTD) approach: Hybrid and Chimeric Drugs
• Azaheterocyclic derivatives for multifactorial diseases: design, synthesis, and biological activity of hybrid and chimeric derivatives
Smarter, Faster, Leaner: Digitalising Drug Product Development
Panel Discussion• Integrating PAT, digital twins & AI for continuous workflows
• Real-world impact: productivity gains and decision-making power
• Balancing innovation with regulatory compliance
Drugging The Undruggables: TPD Approaches
Industry PresentationFunctional ADC Safety Profiling with iPSC-Derived Human Tissues
Solution Provider PresentationBeyond TOP1 and Tubulin: Mechanistically Distinct Payloads for Next-Generation ADCs
Industry PresentationMost clinical ADCs rely on TOP1 or tubulin payloads, creating risks of overlapping resistance and shared toxicities. This talk presents Ryvu’s strategy for mechanistically distinct payloads designed to overcome resistance, expand the therapeutic window, enable combinability and support differentiated next-generation ADC programs across oncology indications and partnerships.
AI Case Study
Industry PresentationDesigning Impactful Cancer Drugs
KeynoteSmall molecule therapeutics continue to form the backbone of therapies for all types of life-threatening diseases. The last decade has seen considerable progress in delivering precision inhibitors which provide clinically meaningful benefit for patients suffering from cancer. In the desire to balance efficacy and tolerability candidate profiles become more sophisticated and resulting molecular design challenges more complex.
In my lecture I will discuss examples of impactful small molecule drugs with a focus on underlying design principles and enabling technologies. I will outline design challenges and emerging solutions for novel small molecule drug modalities including molecular degraders and antibody payloads.
Innovative High-Throughput qPCR & TSA Platforms:New Opportunities in Drug Discovery
Industry PresentationHigh-throughput technologies provide a robust foundation for the discovery of novel lead structures. At Bayer, we have developed advanced platforms for high-throughput quantitative PCR (qPCR) and thermal shift assays (TSA). Case studies demonstrate how these technologies empowered successful hit identification. In addition, strategies for designing diverse and effective compound libraries are discussed, highlighting their critical role in successful screening campaigns.
High Throughput Biomarker Analysis
Industry PresentationDeveloping GAL3 Degraders For The Treatment Of Alzheimer’s Disease
Industry PresentationGal3 is a secreted protein know to induce inflammation and amyloid aggregation in the brain. It is expressed in microglia with the DAM phenotype, and secretion mediates neuronal cell death. We hypothesise that inhibiting or degrading Gal3 may be protective in Alzheimer’s disease, and could represent an effective way to maintain microglial homeostasis in the brain.
Hit To Lead: How Are You Optimising Your Screening Strategy In 2026?
Panel DiscussionDEL Screening For Small Molecule Hit ID
Industry PresentationDNA-encoded Library (DEL) screening is widely recognized across academia and industry as a powerful hit-finding platform. This presentation will feature Amgen’s DEL screening platform and include examples of DEL applications within Amgen’s small molecule portfolio.
Lessons from Building an AI-Ready Data Platform for Target Discovery
Industry PresentationFunctional genomics is exploding in drug discovery, making it hard to turn diverse, complex as-says into actionable insights. We addressed this at Novo Nordisk via an end-to-end data platform that guarantees compliance with a FAIR-by-design approach and unlocks immediate value through frictionless access, enabling confident decision-making from trusted data.
ACRO Biosystems Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationAdvanced Screening Approaches
Industry PresentationQUANTRO developed a Transcriptomic Discovery Platform that matches time-resolved transcriptional profiles triggered by small molecules with those from acute target degradation. This approach identifies direct inhibitors, modulators, and degraders of previously undruggable transcription factors and signaling nodes, with active discovery campaigns against c-MYC and YAP/TEAD.
Generative Molecular Design – Advancing From Hits To Leads
Industry PresentationGenerative AI streamlines early-phase drug discovery by unifying molecular design and synthetic planning to navigate chemical space more efficiently than traditional methods. Integrated with high-speed experimentation, these frameworks accelerate design-make-test-analyze cycles. To address data limitations, active learning strategically identifies the most impactful experiments, while deep interactome learning ensures the design of novel bioactive molecules with desired properties from scratch. Collectively, these technologies provide a predictive filter that optimizes the path from initial discovery to viable leads by prioritizing the most promising molecular designs.
Focused Innovation Through Partnerships
Industry Presentation• Introduction to Lundbeck External Research & Innovation
• Recent examples of building partnerships with Lundbeck
Novel Hit Identification Strategies
Industry PresentationModeling Ternary Complexes With Molecular Glues: Making Sense Of A Sticky Situation
Solution Provider PresentationFostering Cross-Sector Partnerships To Accelerate Drug Discovery
Roundtable Discussion• The future of partnering & what to prioritise
• Bringing together AI & data cross-functionally to drive drug discovery
Assays Around The Clock: Autonomous Robotics In Merck's Early Drug Discovery
Industry PresentationAutonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) transform research by automating routine tasks and extending operational hours to nights and weekends. We are implementing our first AMR, integrating liquid handlers, incubators, and readers for fully automating any microtiter plate assay in our Lab of the Future. This pioneering solution will boost productivity and enhance research outcome
Preclinical Discovery for Novel ADCs
Industry PresentationIntegrating Multi-Omics Data To Understand Disease Mechanisms
Industry PresentationPreclinical Characterisation Of IPN60300, A First-In-Class Antibody-Drug Conjugate For Cancer Therapy
Industry PresentationChemical Biology Approaches for Drug Target Discovery and Validation
Industry PresentationChemical biology connects biological insight to therapeutic opportunity. This talk highlights how chemical probes and targeted protein degradation, including PROTACs, interrogate protein function in cells to support target discovery and validation. Examples show how orthogonal perturbations reveal mechanisms, clarify causality, and uncover biology beyond inhibition, informing targets, leads, and biomarkers.
From DEL Screening to Structure and Function: Detergent‑Free Discovery of Native Ion Channel Modulators
Industry PresentationWe present the first published DNA‑encoded library selection against an ion channel, enabled by detergent‑free Salipro® lipid nanoparticles. Using PANX1, we identify functional small‑molecule modulators validated by SPR, cryo‑EM, and electrophysiology, demonstrating a robust DEL workflow for challenging membrane proteins.
Emerging Cross-Sector Partnerships: Predictive Biology Meets AI
Industry PresentationToward A Foundational Shift In AI-driven Drug Discovery: Improving Co-Folding Models With Federated Networks
Industry PresentationTarget 2035 – Accelerating Drug Discovery Through Partnerships
Industry PresentationData-Driven Drug Development
Industry PresentationDeveloping the next generation of Targeted Radionuclide Therapy for the benefit of cancer patients
Industry PresentationStrategies for Building a Forward-Looking, Value-Driven IP Portfolio
Roundtable Discussion• Tailoring IP portfolio architecture to therapeutic modality (from small molecules to complex biologics)
• The IP paradox in AI-driven drug discovery (inventorship, confidentiality, ownership)
The Future Of Protein Degradation: Beyond PROTACs & Molecular Glues
Panel Discussion• Expanding target scope
• Resistance mechanisms
• Clinical pipeline readiness
• New effectors for TPD
• Safety & toxicity concerns
From One Agent to a Platform — Building RWD AI Agent Platform
Industry PresentationReal-world data work in pharma is bottlenecked by tasks that don't need
expert judgment — they need expert time. Evidence synthesis takes weeks.
TLF review takes days. Protocol drafting takes months.
We built the RWD AI Agent Platform: one workbench, many agents. Chat,
deep research, PubMed + web grounding, slide generation, code sandbox,
and 20+ specialist agents for ATTR-CM, RWE, pharmacovigilance, evidence
strategy, TLF review, and protocol writing — all behind a single UI with
human-in-the-loop review on every output.
The bet is breadth + speed: a shared platform so any new use case becomes
a new agent in days, not a new project in quarters. Results so far — 80%
less data wrangling, 10× faster literature review, evidence
consolidation from days to one hour.
Our principle: prototype first, perfect later. The tool isn't precious —
the researcher's time is.
The Next Generation Platform For Cereblon-Directing Molecular Glue Degrader Discovery
Industry PresentationWhile large strides have been made towards de novo design of molecular glue degraders (MGDs), library screening of cereblon ligands remains essential. We present here our MGD discovery platform that combines a hypothesis-driven second-generation molecular glue library with high-throughput deep proteomics screening. The screening data for >4,000 compounds will be discussed and exemplified with several degraders of novel neosubstrates with non-canonical ternary complex binding mode, as determined by cryo-EM.
Combining In Vitro & Mathematical Modelling To Predict Efficacy
Industry PresentationFrom Data Silos to Connected Knowledge: Accelerating Tech Transfers Through End‑to‑End Digitalisation
Industry PresentationWe have cutting‑edge AI but ten‑year‑old data habits. This talk shares real lessons from a 3,000+ parameter tech transfer journey: why tools alone don't fix fragmented knowledge, how a process‑first mindset and data readiness are essential, and why connecting a knowledge platform to manufacturing systems is a trust and culture challenge, not a technical one.
Confounding Factors in Targeted Degradation of Short-Lived Proteins
Industry PresentationTargeted protein degradation is an exciting and growing modality in drug discovery. This talk will explore the influence of natural protein half-life on the level of protein degradation observed with degraders, which can pose significant hurdles in screening for short-lived proteins.
Organoids and advanced vitro models: improving translation and replacing the use of animals
Industry PresentationLab Digitalisation & AI
Industry PresentationDiscovery of FKBP12-Based Competitive Molecular Glues
Industry PresentationCompetitive molecular glues hold great promise to tackle challenging intracellular targets, but known examples were largely identified serendipitously. Here we present systematic approaches for the discovery of FKBP-assisted molecular glues and present the CellTrap effect as a general mechanism to enhance the cellular potency of these modalities.
How Can We Leverage All Pre-Clinical Information To Inform The First In Human Trial?
Panel Discussion• PK, safety & biomarker data
• Clinical relevance of models
• Leveraging literature vs datasets
• Personalised medicine
• Regulatory considerations
Causaly Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationInnovative Functional Groups In Medicinal Chemistry To Accelerate Drug Discovery
Industry Presentation- Medicinal chemists are challenged to discover drugs for increasingly difficult targets, while reducing the time towards clinical candidate selection
- The more functional groups we can utilize in compound design, the higher our chances might be to succeed
- This presentation will highlight emerging functional groups in medicinal chemistry such as the N-trifluoromethyl group and demonstrate how they can be strategically applied to optimize for example potency, metabolic stability, and oral absorption
- Expect to leave this session with some inspiring new chemical features and data supporting their application to optimize the properties of compound series, generate IP, and accelerate drug discovery
Where Smart Capital Meets Science: Investing In The Next Wave Of Innovation & AI In Drug Discovery & Q&A Session
Panel Discussion• How investors evaluate emerging drug discovery technologies
o AI in drug discovery
• What drives funding decisions in a shifting biotech market
• Where capital is flowing next
• What drives founding decisions?
Accurate solid form identification enabled by MicroED-based screening of crystal mixtures
Solution Provider PresentationMicrocrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) enables rapid structure determination of sub-µm crystals using an electron beam. Multipoint MicroED allows selective analysis of individual crystals within mixtures. This talk highlights its utility and high-throughput workflows for accurate solid-form identification.
From Discovery To Development: Making Partnerships Work
Industry PresentationThe presentation covers why partnerships are important and gives an overview of the key steps to a partnership addressing some do's and don'ts.
Chemical Probes As Drivers Of Phenotypic Screening And Discovery
Industry PresentationPractical Steps To Maximise AI Value In Drug Discovery - From Algorithm To Adoption
Solution Provider PresentationMaximising AI’s impact in drug discovery requires practical tools that empower scientists. It also necessitates a focus on the implementation of proven algorithms and organisational change. Using case study examples from our StarDrop and Cerella platforms we show how AI’s value can be demonstrated.
Turning Raw Lab Output Into Actual Insights
Solution Provider PresentationCDD Vault is a secure, cloud-based platform that unifies chemistry and bioassay data across ELNs, registration systems, and analysis tools to drive reproducibility, collaboration, and AI/ML readiness.
FAIR Data Management In Labs Of The Future
Industry PresentationMulti-Omics Technologies For Novel Target Discovery
Industry PresentationNon Degrading Molecular Glues - Insights on Molecular Interactions for Inhibiting PPIs and GTPases
Industry Presentation- Non-Degrading molecular glues inhibit protein targets through formation of a ternary complex. In this talk, our development of macrocyclic molecular glues that recruits FKBP12 will be discussed in context of inhibiting PPIs and other target classes.
- The structural basis for inhibiting PPIs will be shown through X-Ray structural data of ternary complexes with disruption of the TRADD-TRAF2 PPI being detailed.
- Learning from structural based drug design using ternary crystal structures will be presented.
Modality matters: overcoming the challenges of targeting EphA2
Industry Presentation• Bicycle Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company developing constrained bicyclic (Bicycle®) peptides.
• Properties of Bicycle® molecules suit precision therapies and could overcome challenges of targeting EphA2 – a valuable target in oncology characterized by Ph1 failures.
• Nuzefatide pevedotin, a Bicycle Drug Conjugate®, shows a differentiated preclinical profile and is currently in Ph2
Making Automation Smarter At AstraZeneca
Industry PresentationAdvancing Industry & Academic Partnerships To Accelerate Drug Discovery
Panel DiscussionAdventures In Precision Medicine For Cancer: 25 Years After The Genome Sequence
Keynote• Oncology leads the way in genome-based medicine with estimates of at least 90 FDA approvals requiring biomarkers for optimal patient selection – almost half of all drugs authorized since 1998
• In discovery, ‘Drugging the Cancer Genome’ is being further enabled by technologies such as CRISPR, chemical probes, structure/fragment-based design, degraders (PROTACs and molecular glues), immune-targeting and AI/machine learning approaches
• In clinical development, use of the ‘Pharmacological Audit Trail’ framework is being enhanced by cheaper next generation sequencing, liquid biopsy, and innovative PK/PD modelling
From Proximity Induction To Degradation: Advancing Molecular Degraders At Merck Healthcare
Industry PresentationTargeted protein degradation presents a significant opportunity to tackle previously undruggable targets by utilizing the cell's proteasomal system to eliminate disease-causing proteins.
At Merck Healthcare KGaA, we have established specialized workstreams for bifunctional PROTACs and molecular glue degraders.
Examples of our hit identification from PPI, Del and hit characterization will be presented, highlighting our tailored assay suite to optimize these modalities in our drug discovery pipeline.
Pushing The Boundaries Of Target Discovery In 2026 & Beyond
Panel Discussion• How to make and de-risk decisions in drug discovery -target/indication prioritisation
• Accelerating discovery with AI-driven technologies
• Potential bottlenecks & future outlook
Covalent Protein Kinase Inhibitors Targeting Cysteine And Beyond
Industry PresentationProtein kinases have been pursued as drug targets for over 20 years, but a significant part of the human “kinome” has not yet been addressed with specific inhibitors, despite its likely medical relevance. Our research group focuses on the identification of new covalent inhibitors for both validated and understudied protein kinases.
In our recent work, we and our collaborators have employed intact-protein mass spectrometry (MS) screens to explore kinase-inhibitor-like covalent libraries equipped with cysteine and tyrosine/lysine reactive “warheads”. These screening efforts have yielded a variety of promising hits, which were validated by complementary methods, including thermal shift assays, biochemical enzyme assays, cellular assays, and X-ray crystallography.
My presentation will detail our progress in extending the range of known covalent protein kinase inhibitors, especially focusing on new compounds targeting lesser-studied kinases. Additionally, I will discuss non-conventional binding modes we have identified, providing a basis for ongoing medicinal chemistry optimization.
The Toxicity Challenge: What’s Holding Back ADC Innovation?
Panel Discussion• Antibody engineering to improve toxicity
• Balancing potency vs tolerability in payload design
• Will novel formats improve the toxicity profile?
Human Translatable Cellular Models & Pre-Clinical Research
Industry PresentationHuman translatable cellular models — iPSC-derived neurons, cardiomyocytes, and kidney organoids — are transforming pre-clinical research by bridging the gap between genomic target discovery and therapeutic development. Combined with CRISPR screening, automation, and ML-driven phenotypic profiling, these models enable scalable, disease-relevant target validation that improves translational predictivity across therapeutic areas.
Combining Recombinant Antibody Fragment Engineering and Bespoke Linker-Payload Design to Produce Next-Generation ADCs
Industry PresentationDiscovery of novel antibody fragments (scFvs), optimised for bioconjugation, design of hydrophilic linker-payloads, novel format drug conjugates for oncology
Accelerate Drug Discovery Through Multi OMICs, NAMs & AI Toxicity Predictions
Industry PresentationOur efforts to reimagine preclinical safety screening with humanized ACM, multiparametric data, and AI will be discussed
Accelerating Hit Identification with AI
Industry PresentationWe present practical applications of AI-driven strategies for hit identification, including virtual screening, make-on-demand library mining, compound prioritization, and exploitation of data-rich screening decks, alongside iterative screening workflows and automated hit expansion.
Building A Truly Connected, Automated Discovery Lab
Panel Discussion• Bridging silos between devices, data platforms & teams
• Achieving interoperability: tech, teams, and standards
• Scaling automation from proof-of-concept to full lab adoption
Application of Affinity Prediction (ABFEP) to Fragment Screening – Retrospective Analysis and Future Application
Industry PresentationFive Requirements For AI‑Ready Pharma Data Curation
Solution Provider PresentationPharma executives and managers are racing to apply AI across drug discovery and development. But while the possibilities of AI advances can be very promising, many efforts falter before bringing home dependable, real‑world performance. This session outlines five essential elements for preparing your data, systems, and scientific workflows for AI success. You’ll learn why strong data governance, complete metadata, interoperable platforms, resilient model‑management processes, and scientific validation are critical for trustworthy, reproducible results. By aligning these elements early, you'll enable faster decisions, fewer surprises, and you'll develop AI tools that deliver more consistent value across the drug development lifecycle.
A Reusable Platform for Target Identification in Oncology
Industry PresentationAignostics and Bayer have co-developed a multimodal platform for AI-based patient stratification and target identification. By combining pathology foundation models with multimodal learning, it enables reverse translation from real-world tissue to novel, validated oncology targets — accelerating the discovery of therapies grounded in human biology. Here, we present the platform and findings in LUSC .
Cell Signalling Technology Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationIRBM Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationAdvanced Medicinal Chemistry Techniques
Industry PresentationProgressing Intractable Targets from a Medicinal Chemistry & DMPK Perspective
Solution Provider PresentationIntractable targets (often termed “undruggable”) are proteins or biological molecules heavily implicated in diseases (particularly cancer) that cannot be easily modulated by conventional small molecule drugs. They are considered challenging because they lack defined, deep binding pockets required for traditional drugs to attach and inhibit function. They often involve protein-protein interactions (PPIs), transcription factors, and intrinsically disordered proteins.
Progressing “intractable targets” requires a hybrid approach combining novel chemistry with advanced DMPK to navigate non-Rule of 5 (bRo5) chemical space. Success hinges on employing targeted covalent modification to enhance selectivity and to transform shallow binding pockets into druggable sites, and using degradation technologies to shift from occupancy-based to event-driven pharmacology (degradation) allowing targeting undruggable proteins. While intractable targets require non-traditional chemistry, DMPK is not a downstream filter. Cross-functional integration between medicinal chemists and DMPK scientists is critical to address non-traditional physicochemical properties early.
In this presentation, we will illustrate that ADME strategies traditionally used for selecting reversible inhibitors may not be appropriate for the discovery and development of covalent inhibitors. Non-traditional assays in combination with “adequate” PK profiles are the critical considerations for progression of such compounds. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) represent an emerging therapeutic modality. Their bifunctional design inherently leads to physicochemical properties that often lie beyond the limits for traditional oral small molecules. We will highlight the key challenges in optimizing oral PROTACs and discuss the need for alternative experimental approaches to accurately characterize their atypical ADME properties.
Cadence Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationTo Be Confirmed
Industry PresentationTBC
Chemaxon / Certara Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationLeading The Future: Women Driving Innovation In Drug Discovery & Development
Panel Discussion• Career journeys and lessons from senior women in pharma, biotech, and academia
• Navigating leadership challenges, mentoring, and fostering inclusive R&D teams
• Breaking silos: cross-functional collaboration to accelerate drug development
• Inspiring the next generation of women scientists and leaders
Enabling Challenging Targets: Development of AS-MS and Integration with Other Screening Technologies
Industry PresentationAffinity selection-mass spectrometry (AS-MS), combined with orthogonal biophysical methods (HTRF and TSA), provides a powerful platform for identifying binders against challenging targets such as membrane proteins and for protein-protein interactions. Integrated approaches accelerate hit identification and enable the generation of first tool compounds for previously intractable targets.
From Device To Local Dose At The Site Of Action: In Silico Trials For Inhaled Drug Development
Innovation Presentation• Drug deposition determines efficacy, yet the local dose at the site of action is rarely quantified during development • Twinhale simulates aerosol transport and local deposition in patient-specific lungs using CT-derived anatomy, breathing patterns, and in vitro aerosol data • The platform enables virtual cohort studies and variability analysis prior to clinical trials • Applications include device selection, dose translation to humans, and supporting bioequivalence or bridging strategies using modelintegrated evidence
A Patient in the Lab Platform for Efficacy and Safety Evaluation of Pre-Clinical Candidates
Solution Provider PresentationWe will present a “patient in the lab” patient-derived organoid platform to evaluate preclinical efficacy and safety: oncology biobanks for biologics/ADCs and translational stratification as well as liver organoid profiling for early human-relevant toxicity risk.
Start Up Presentation
Innovation PresentationNanyang Biologics Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationPUREfrex® – The Re-Built Protein Factory
Solution Provider PresentationPUREfrex® is a rebuilt, cell-free protein expression system that redefines how proteins are produced and explored. Its modular architecture offers researchers precise control at the molecular level, making it exceptionally adaptable to a wide range of applications—from expressing challenging biologics to enabling high-throughput workflows. Whether you're working on therapeutic proteins, novel modalities, or synthetic biology prototypes, PUREfrex® provides a flexible and efficient foundation. When paired with AI/ML platforms, it becomes a powerful accelerator for innovation in protein engineering and discovery.
The Drug Delivery Innovation Centre (DDiC) - a sparkling examples on cross-industry collaboration on drug delivery
Industry PresentationDDIC, an international network of partners from industry and academia established in 2017, provides the framework for high-level application-oriented research and talent development for the pharmaceutical industry. Thereby the DDiC facilitates the translation of academic research into industrial application in a pre-competitive environment within a broad network of members from academia as well as pharmaceutical industry, equipment manufacturers and excipient providers.
Reaction Biology Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationThe Five Levels of DEL: Barriers And Opportunities In Data-Driven Drug Discovery
Solution Provider PresentationExploiting modern data science techniques in drug discovery requires platforms that generate data of sufficient scope and quality. DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening is one such data-intensive platform. In this talk, the hallmarks of effective utilization of DEL will be examined, and successful cases studies shared.
Targeted Glues™, A New Class of Degraders That Recruit Novel E3 Ligases
Industry Presentation• Traditional targeted protein degradation approaches require high affinity binders to E3 ligases to generate PROTACs or molecular glues, which limits the scope of E3 ligases regularly used
• At Amphista we take a target first approach to degrader discovery, generating glue like molecules based on target binding ligands. This has enabled generation of Targeted Glue™ degraders against high value targets using three non CRBN/VHL ligases
• Learnings from our pipeline programs will be presented, demonstrating the advantages of Targeted Glues and our approach to compound optimization
From Islands to Ecosystems: Interoperability as the Foundation for Lab-in-the-Loop IT Architectures
Industry PresentationWhat does it take to move from automated workflows to autonomous R&D cycles?
This talk explores the architectural requirements for lab-in-the-loop concepts and shows how interoperability standards like SiLA enable seamless integration, scalability, and real-time interaction between AI models and laboratory infrastructures.
Catalysing Breakthroughs: Bayer’s Incubator Ecosystem For Startups
Industry Presentation1. Bayer Co.Lab is Bayer’s global incubator network supporting early-stage life science and biotech ventures
2. With fully equipped labs, shared infrastructure, a global community, and access to experts and partners, it helps founders bring their brilliant ideas to life - while reducing operational and financial overhead
3. With a global footprint of facilities in strategic innovation hotspots Cambridge (USA), Berlin (Germany), Beijing and Shanghai (China), and Kobe (Japan) combined with virtual members from around the globe, we have a portfolio of more than 30 highly innovative startups working in diverse disease and technology areas
4. A dynamic community, the expertise of pharma, and no strings attached
Identification and Validation of New E3 Ligase Ligands for Next-Generation PROTAC Development
Industry Presentation- Use of DEL-ML and eASMS for ligand identification
- Validation workflow of PROTACs
Start Up Presentation
Innovation PresentationTraining on Truth: Experimental Protein Structures in the Age of AI Drug Discovery
Innovation PresentationAs AI models become increasingly integrated into drug discovery, predicted protein structures are now used to support target assessment, hypothesis generation, and molecular design. In this talk, we will discuss where experimental protein structures remain critical as reference data.
Drawing on examples from cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and structural analysis, we will focus on how experimental data can validate models, resolve uncertainty, and inform structure-guided discovery workflows in the age of AI.
NeoMag: Bringing Mechanical Reality to Drug Discovery
Innovation PresentationCurrent in vitro models ignore the mechanical forces that shape every biological process, from tumor growth to neurodegeneration, leading to poor clinical translation and costly drug failures. NeoMag is the first commercial technology enabling non-invasive, programmable mechanical stimulation of cells and tissues. Backed by an EIC Transition grant and validated at UCSF, Imperial College, and UCL, we are building the standard tool for mechanobiology-driven drug discovery, opening a new category in preclinical research.
Start Up Presentation
Innovation PresentationPeripherical-Only, Non-Addicted Nanotech Based Drug Delivery – Building Blocks For A Strategy To Prevent Opioid Addiction
Innovation PresentationHigh Q Technologies Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationLiving Networks Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationClosing The Gap: Patient-Derived Microtumours (PDMs) In Precision Oncology And Preclinical Drug Development
Industry PresentationPatient-derived microtumours (PDMs), isolated from surgical tumour resections, preserve the native tumour microenvironment, including structural heterogeneity and immune interactions. This platform allows for physiologically relevant, in vitro evaluation of lead candidates, such as advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and immunotherapies, while supporting the identification of personalised, patient-specific cancer treatment strategies.
HitChem Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationAvenue Biosciences Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationAutomation Architecture Security for AI-Ready Data
Roundtable DiscussionRasayan Labs Presentation
Solution Provider PresentationImmunXnano - Predict Immune Safety Earlier, De-Risk Faster
Solution Provider PresentationImmunXnano, a deep biotech spin-off project from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), revolutionizes immunosafety profiling for drugs, vaccines, and nanomedicines.
Our cutting-edge technology uses high-dimensional phenotypic data from primary human cells to provide unprecedented insights into immune system interactions. We enable precise functional profiling of immune activation, cytokine signaling, and toxicity—key factors in predicting therapeutic efficacy and safety.
We empower pharmaceutical and biotech partners to accelerate R&D, reduce risk, and ensure product safety.
High-Throughput Protein Engineering for Therapeutic Manufacturing
Solution Provider PresentationThis talk explores how protein engineering and optimizing the secretory pathway with signal peptides can improve protein yield, quality, and scalability in mammalian expression systems, enabling more efficient manufacturing of antibodies, vaccines, and emerging biologic modalities
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1 Shortlands,
Hammersmith International Ctre,
London, W6 8DR
Just minutes from three of London's main tube lines (Piccadilly, District and Hammersmith & City) and located in the heart of Hammersmith; Novotel London West is ideally located for trips to Westfield London, Harrods & Kensington High Street. Also conveniently located to Heathrow Airport with excellent road and rail links to the rest of the UK. This large and modern hotel offers on-site parking (chargeable), fitness suite and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout.
By Air
London Heathrow Airport - Novotel London West is accessible from Heathrow via the Underground on the Piccadilly Line - fares cost around £5 into Central London. A taxi from the airport will take approximately 20 minutes and will cost around £30 - £40.
London Gatwick Airport - The Gatwick Express runs every 15 mins - take it to Victoria station, and then get the District line to Hammersmith (about 15 mins). A taxi from the airport will take around 60 mins and cost between £65 - £80.
By Underground & Bus
Hammersmith Underground Station is adjacent to the hotel (3 minutes walk) with access to the Piccadilly, District and Hammersmith & City Lines. When exiting Hammersmith station, turn right and walk across the bus station. Cross over the roads using the island and keep on the right-hand side of Hammersmith Road. Continuing walking for 2 mins, and the hotel is accessible via stone steps.
For buses in central London, take route numbers 9 and 10. The main coach station (London Hammersmith) is 3 minutes walk away.
By Rail
The closest National Rail train station is Kensington Olympia (20 minutes walk).
By Car
Leave the A4 at the Hammersmith turning and proceed along Hammersmith Bridge Road to the large roundabout underneath the flyover. Take the fifth exit off the roundabout. Then turn left into Shortlands - the main hotel entrance and parking will be on your left-hand side.
Parking
Novotel London West offers over 240 on-site car parking spaces (charged per hour for residents parking). For further information including a map and full directions, please visit: www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-0737-novotel-london-west/index.shtml
Our discounted accommodation has now sold out. You can check rates, availability, and book directly with the event venue here: Novotel London West.
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As we continue to move forward with hosting our events in-person in 2025, we’ve added a series of Health & Safety guidelines and precautions in order to prepare for event safety. We carry out risk assessments for all our events to evaluate fundamental considerations and how to cover multiple risk scenarios.
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