Harnessing Multi-Omics for Next-Generation Drug Discovery
Join us for an exclusive thought leadership interview with Tom Lanz, Senior Director of Multi-Omics and Biomarkers at Pfizer, as he shares his insights into how integrated omics are transforming early-stage drug development and target discovery. Then, hear from a leading panel of experts from AbbVie, Princeton, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to uncover how multi-omics is driving the future of drug development- all in this 1-hour virtual session.
1.30pm Thought Leader Interview with Tom Lanz
2.00pm Panel Discussion: How Multi-Omics is Transforming Drug Development – Key Opportunities & Challenges
- Promising multi-omic combinations (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) for target discovery
- Translating omic signals into actionable pathways in early-stage drug development
- Reverse translation work
- Technical barriers: data integration, harmonisation, and computational complexity
- Sample quality issues: FFPE vs fresh tissue, bulk vs spatial resolution
- Tumour microenvironment (TME) challenges in multi-omic profiling and clinical relevance
Thought Leader & Moderator
Tom Lanz is a neurobiologist and scientific leader with over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and a co-author of over 50 publications. He currently serves as Director of the Multi-Omics and Biomarkers group within Pfizer Drug Safety Research & Development, leading the application of next-gen omics and biomarker strategies to support all phases of drug development.
- Sunhwa Kim, Associate Scientific Director, AbbVie
- Wei Wang, Director, Genomic Core Facility, Princeton University
- Junmin Peng, Professor of Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Advancing Biomarker Development: CfDNA and Immunology in Focus
Join us for an exclusive thought leadership interview with Dominic Rothwell, Deputy Director of Manchester Cancer Biomarker Centre, Cancer Research UK (CRUK), as he provides insights on the latest advancements in cfDNA, tumour biomarkers, and immunology in oncology. Then, listen to a leading panel of experts from Astrazeneca, Cornell University and the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute as they discuss the latest advancements in biomarker-driven innovation and the influence of collaborations partnerships.
1.30pm Thought Leader Interview with Dominic Rothwell
2.00pm Panel Discussion: Advancing Biomarker-Driven Innovation- Collaborations & Partnerships
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Where is collaboration driving real-world impact today?
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How are cfDNA and tumour biomarkers enabling earlier, more accurate interventions?
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Building strong research–clinical–industry data partnerships
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Data sharing and standardisation
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Real-time tissue/cfDNA sampling and repositories
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Joint protocol design for biomarker-driven trials
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Multi-centre and public–private consortia (e.g., UK Biobank, CRUK partnerships)
Thought Leader & Moderator
Dr Dominic G. Rothwell is Deputy Director of the CRUK National Biomarker Centre and Rare Cells Team Lead at the University of Manchester. His research centres on liquid biomarkers for precision oncology, using plasma proteins, circulating free DNA, and tumour cells to characterise cancers. His work aims to drive advances in early detection, diagnosis, minimal residual disease, and resistance mechanisms.
- Nathalie Dhomen, MCRC Commercialisation and Innovation Lead, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute
- Dr. Taha Merghoub, Deputy Director, Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center; Margaret & Herman Sokol Professor of Oncology Research; Professor of Pharmacology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine