DAY ONE I MARCH 26, 2025
8:00 am Check In & Morning Refreshments
8:50 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Harnessing Biophysics to Drive Early Drug Discovery: Exploring Industry Case Studies
9:00 am Tailoring Approaches to Drug Discovery to Successfully Move From Molecular Insights to Clinical Impact
Synopsis
- Evaluating the emerging trends and technologies in Biophysics for broader use amongst the industry
- Exploring examples of AstraZeneca studies to understand real-world examples of the techniques in action
- Considering the future directions of Biophysics in drug discovery for more efficient drug development
9:30 am Redefining Biophysics for Biologic Therapeutic Discovery
Synopsis
- Efficient, High-Resolution MOB Characterization: Cost-effective approaches for precise binding characterization, offering atomic resolution insights into biologics’ mechanisms of action
- Comparative Analysis of Structural and Biophysical Methods: Evaluation of high-resolution structural biology techniques versus traditional biophysical and biochemical methods for comprehensive epitope and paratope mapping
- Integrating Biophysics in Developability Assessment: Leveraging both innovative and established biophysical techniques to optimize biologic therapeutic development
10:00 am Advancing Hits-To-Leads with Biophysical Techniques From Pfizer
Synopsis
- Integrating biophysical techniques into the drug discovery pipeline to accelerate the identification and development of novel therapeutics
- Utilising biophysical techniques to design, identify and develop hits that are more suited to the desired targets for cost and time saving
- Progressing the development in varying modalities to provide more potential for tailored drug developmentÂ
10:30 am Speed Networking
Synopsis
Put a face to a name – this session is the perfect opportunity to get face-to-face time with key opinion leaders, leading companies, and innovative researchers in Biophysics. Establish meaningful connections to build upon for the rest of the conference and gain individual insight beyond the papers into the applications of biophysical techniques and technologies in drug discovery
11:15 am Morning Break
Illuminating Innovative Biophysical Approaches & Promising Strategies for Revitalising Drug Discovery Across Novel Drug Modalities
11:30 am Biochemical and Biophysical Characterization of Selective CBP Degraders
Synopsis
- CBP and EP300 have a bidirectional Synthetic lethal relationship
- Selective inhibitors/ degraders of CBP (and EP300) are highly desired as dual inhibition exhibits hematopoietic toxicity
- Insights into Biochemical and Biophysical ternary complex assays to probe selectivity of CBP degraders
12:00 pm Session Reserved for Wuxi AppTec
12:30 pm Designing Biochemical/ Biophysical Assay Workflows For Heterobifunctional & Molecular Glue Degraders
Synopsis
- Discussing new strategies for optimizing heterobifunctional and molecular glue degraders using different technologies, and the recent advancements in their applications
- Designing and characterizing small molecules using biophysical techniques to update on the latest strategies for optimizing small molecule properties, such as fragment-based drug design and computational chemistry
- Studying examples of the development of a small molecule drug with latest results to provide insight for better drug discovery
1:00 pm Lunch
Novel Drug Modalities: Innovative Biophysical Approaches & Promising Strategies for Revitalising Discovery
2:00 pm Round Table Discussion: Navigating the Complex Landscape of Novel Drug Modalities: Challenges, Opportunities, & the Role of Biophysics to Inspire Future Development
Synopsis
- Discussing the potential of novel modalities like protein degraders (PROTACs and molecular glues) for expanding drug horizons
- Exploring the unique challenges and opportunities associated with each modality for more informed development
- Highlighting the role of biophysics in characterizing these modalities and understanding their mechanism of action for the sharing of knowledge
2:30 pm Deconstruction of HTS Hits Into Fragments As A Route To Discover Potent BCL6 Inhibitors & Degraders
Synopsis
- A comprehensive hit id campaign including VS, HTS and FBS combined with integrated orthogonal biophysical approaches (TSA, SPR, LO-NMR) was crucial in the validation of initial BCL6 screening hits
- Deconstruction of the initial HTS hits into smaller fragments improved solubility and facilitated the structure-based drug design to increase potency
- Biophysical validation using orthogonal techniques enabled a high success rate in the determination of protein-ligand crystal structures supporting the discovery of potent BCL6 inhibitors and degraders with anti-proliferative activity in BCL6-dependent cancer cell lines
3:00 pm Afternoon Break & Poster Session
Synopsis
Connect with peers in a relaxed atmosphere and continue to forge new and existing relationships while exploring the latest in biophysical approaches and research advancements. To submit a poster, please contact info@hansonwade.com
Accelerating Drug Discovery Using High-Throughput & Automation Tools to Aid Biophysical Techniques and Enhance Efficiency
3:30 pm User-Friendly, Automated, Miniaturized Biophysics Assays
Synopsis
- Miniaturizing to support early research projects by doing biophysics with less material
- Improving sustainability by decreasing the use of plastic tips and plates
- Making assays more user-friendly – FAIR workflows with user developed Low-code web applications
4:00 pm Biomolecular Modelling & Simulation & The Integration Of Molecular Dynamics With AI Methods
Synopsis
- Leveraging AI-powered molecular dynamics simulations to rapidly identify potential drug candidates
- Designing proteins with desired properties using advanced computational techniques
- Gaining deeper insights into the mechanisms of disease and develop innovative therapeutic strategies
4:30 pm Tailoring The Experimental Validation Workflow To Leverage Ultra-Large Virtual Screening For Accelerated Discovery Of Therapeutics
Synopsis
- Structure-based virtual screening is evolving to be a key tool in early drug discovery, with increasing interest in screening multi-billion compound libraries
- Integrating biophysical, biochemical, cellular and structural components of the validation workflow, coupled with computational drug design can accelerate hit validation and triaging
- Delve into the unique benefits and challenges of a virtual-screening driven validation and lead optimization workflow