In-Person Interactive Discussions

Engage in in-depth discussions with industry experts and your peers about the progress, trends and challenges you face in your research! Interactive discussion groups play an integral role in networking with potential collaborators, provide an opportunity to share examples from your work, and be part of a group problem-solving endeavor.

These will take place IN-PERSON ONLY.

Wednesday, May 13, 12:50 – 1:35 PM

TABLE: Optimizing the CNS Delivery of Biotherapeutics
Moderator: Christopher M. Koth, PhD, Vice President, Biotherapeutics, Discovery Sciences, Denali Therapeutics Inc.

Receptor selection & biology: What’s the most translatable biology across species?
From uptake to pharmacology: Optimizing manufacturable LM brain-delivery architectures to achieve the right exposure, engagement, and efficacy
Moving beyond brain "uptake:" Taking a granular look at where the drug goes and how long it stays
Emerging strategies to optimize CNS targeting and exposure: Next gen payloads and dual targeting

TABLE: Strategies and Metrics for Discovering Drug-Like Internalizing Antibodies
Moderator: Jie Zhou, PhD, Assistant Professor, Radiation and Cellular Oncology, Chemistry, University of Chicago

Why internalization varies across binders to the same antigen: epitope, receptor trafficking, avidity/format, and how to screen for “productive” uptake (vs surface binding only)
Selection strategies for internalizing antibodies: functional display/selection concepts (e.g., uptake-coupled screens) and how they compare to conventional affinity-first discovery
Assays and metrics that predict downstream performance: internalization kinetics, lysosomal routing vs recycling, payload delivery readouts, and what correlates best with in vivo activity
Developability-by-design: how to incorporate stability, expression, aggregation, and sequence liabilities early so internalizing hits translate into drug-like leads
Applications beyond ADCs: targeted protein downregulation, extracellular targeted protein degradation, and cargo delivery—what properties matter for each modality

TABLE: Masking Approaches to Mitigate Off-Target Effects and Reduce Toxicity of Multispecifics
Moderator: Volker Schellenberger, PhD, Senior Vice President, Research Oncology, Vir Biotechnology, Inc.

Preclinical models to show a widened therapeutic index
Binding masks or steric masks?
Methods to measure unmasking in tissues
Design of protease cleavable linkers

TABLE: Antibodies to Watch in 2026: Mid-Year Update
Moderator: Janice M. Reichert, PhD, Editor-in-Chief, mAbs
The “Antibodies to Watch” roundtable will focus on updates to the commercial late-stage clinical development, regulatory review, and marketing approval of antibody therapeutics in 2026. Discussion topics include:

Trends in global antibody therapeutics approvals?
Global development of innovative antibody therapeutics such as multispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates
Industry benchmarks such as development times and success rates
Late-stage pipeline of over 200 antibodies and projections for their transition to marketing approval

TABLE: Multispecific and Logic-Gated T-Cell Engagers to Optimize Therapeutic Index
Moderator: Alexander J Martinko, PhD, Senior Director, Antibody Engineering & Design, Cartography Biosciences Inc.

Provide an overview of multispecific and logic gated T cell engager concepts and why they are gaining traction across oncology programs
Discuss how these approaches aim to balance potency and safety through improved control of T cell activation
Highlight representative formats and design principles rather than specific technologies or case studies
Explore how logic gated strategies may shape the next generation of T cell engager therapies and clinical development pathways

TABLE: Unlocking the "Dark Genome" and Leveraging AI to Modernize Therapeutics Development in Oncology, Autoimmune, and Neurodegeneration
Moderator: Zhimei Du, M.D., PhD. Co-Founder, DeepTarget Biotherapeutics

What is “Dark Genome” and how is it associated with diseases?
What are the challenges of identifying druggable targets in the dark genome?
Why is AI the best tool for developing dark-genome-related therapeutics?
A forward-looking perspective on drug development

TABLE: Protein Production in Discovery: Current Landscape and a Roadmap for the Future
Moderator: Anand Narayanan, PhD, Senior Scientist, Biologics Discovery, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine

Transient or Stable‑Pool or both? Smart Choices for rapid discovery process
High‑throughput Protein Production: Integrating Digital Pipelines with Lab Automation
Leveraging AI to accelerate and improve the efficiency of protein production

TABLE: Modeling and Analytical Tools for Formulation Development of Novel Biologic Modalities
Moderator: Pin-Kuang Lai, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology

Formulation challenges of novel modalities (e.g., ADCs, bispecifics) compared with conventional mAbs
In silico modeling tools to support formulation design and risk assessment
Analytical and biophysical methods for characterizing developability and stability
Opportunities and limitations of AI/ML in formulation development of next-generation biologics

TABLE: Practical Considerations for Incorporating In Silico Risk Assessment and Mitigation Earlier in Drug Design
Moderator: Sophie Tourdot, PhD, Immunogenicity Sciences Lead, BioMedicine Design, Pfizer

Identify early decision points
Understand model limitations
Integrate into iterative design loop
Align early predictions with downstream assays

TABLE: Benchmarking In Silico IgG and VHH Humanization Tools
Moderator: Tony Pham, Scientist, Biologics Engineering & Developability, AstraZeneca

How do new machine learning (ML) based methods for humanization compare to classic approaches in terms of success rates?
Do humanization tools perform equally well for IgGs vs. VHHs?
Does applying an ensemble of tools guarantee at least one successful hit?
What can we learn from comparing sequences suggested by different tools?

Friday, May 15, 7:30 – 8:25 AM | over continental breakfast

TABLE: The AIntibody Challenge: Inaugural Results and What's New in Challenge 2
Moderator: Andrew R.M. Bradbury, MD, PhD, CSO, Specifica, an IQVIA business and M. Frank Erasmus, PhD, Head, Bioinformatics, Specifica, an IQVIA business

Review final results from the initial AIntibody Challenge, which included >30 teams across pharma, biotech, academia and AI companies. The final manuscript will be submitted in February and published later in Nature Biotech
Evaluate target affinity, developability (minimum score), and submission time
Discuss plans for the second challenge

TABLE: From Binding to Application: What Will It Take for De Novo Binders to Succeed?
Moderator: Lennart Nickel, Graduate Student, Biotechnology & Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Are de novo–designed miniproteins moving beyond academic proof-of-concept toward robust, reproducible therapeutic platforms?
What technical, biological, and manufacturing hurdles must still be addressed for de novo formats to truly rival antibody-derived scaffolds?
In which applications do antibodies and miniproteins naturally coexist, and where do miniproteins provide superior performance or design freedom?
What do we know and how much can we predict the immunogenicity of de novo protein binders?

TABLE: Cis-Acting Bispecifics: Rewiring Receptor Signalling at the Cell Surface
Moderator: Ricardo A. Fernandes, PhD, Group Lead, CAMS Oxford Institute, University of Oxford

What should cis-bispecifics actually do? Moving beyond blockade toward catalytic modulation, signal tuning, enforced phosphatase or kinase activity, receptor internalization, or degradation
Can induced proximity reveal new biology? Using cis-acting bispecifics as discovery tools to identify actionable membrane enzymes, uncover regulatory nodes, and unlock new therapeutic targets
Designing for function. How geometry, valency, kinetics, and membrane constraints shape signalling outcomes, and how to engineer for predictable activity
Exploring synergy and combination strategies. When do cis-acting bispecifics complement or outperform checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, degraders, or small molecules, and how should combinations be rationally selected?

TABLE: In Vivo CAR T Therapy - Advances in Targeting and Payload Engineering
Moderator: Shimobi Onuoha, PhD, CTO, Chimeris UK Ltd

Discuss key platform design principles including T cell targeting control of CAR expression and modulation of immune activity
Highlight how advances in targeting and payload engineering aim to improve specificity durability and safety
Explore the implications of scalable redosable in vivo CAR T approaches for future cell therapy development and clinical translation

TABLE: Use of AI Tools to Optimize Protein Production
Moderator: Adam Carr, Associate Director, Cell Free Production, BigHat Biosciences

Where have you seen AI transforming the production value chain the most (yield optimization, purification, formulation, etc.)?
What parts of protein production remain unchanged by the implementation of AI tools and why do you think that is the case?
If you could magically have AI improve one part of the process, what would it be?

TABLE: Streamlining Protein Production: Improving Throughput and Eliminating Bottlenecks
Moderator: Mansi Malhotra, PhD, Advisor, Product Development, Elanco Animal Health

Map Your Bottlenecks - Where Does Time Actually Get Lost?
Automate Smarter, Not Harder: Automating for Speed and Consistency
Turning Data into Actionable Insights
Faster Testing Without Compromising Quality
Designing Workflows That Scale: AI-Enabled Predictive Developability

TABLE: Mass Photometry for Viral Vector Analysis: Challenges and Opportunities
Moderator: Anastasiia Vasiukhina-Martin, PhD, Advisor, BRD Analytical Development, Eli Lilly and Company

Standardization and best practices: Building a community consensus
From discovery to QC: How to release clinical material with MP data?
Beyond AAV capsid species quantitation: Expanding MP applications in AAV characterization
The future of single particle analysis: What does it look like for MP?

TABLE: Recent Advances in Peptide Drug Conjugates (PDCs): Targeting Ligands and Carriers for Cytotoxics, Radionuclides, and Oligonucleotides
Moderator: Annette Bak, PhD, Head, Advanced Drug Delivery, AstraZeneca

Emerging design strategies for PDCs: How peptide ligands enable improved selectivity, tumor/tissue penetration, and therapeutic index compared with ADCs
Expanding payload classes: Advances in conjugating peptides to cytotoxics, radionuclides, and oligonucleotides, and how these payloads drive different delivery and stability requirements for PDCs
Linker design strategies: Advances in optimizing linkers in PDCs and what type of linker is best suited for what type of conjugate
Translational and manufacturability considerations: Key challenges in formulation, scalability, regulatory paths, and ensuring decision‑ready data packages that accelerate development

TABLE: Novel Mechanisms for Peptide Therapeutics
Moderator: Devleena Samanta, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry; Associate Member, Livestrong Cancer Institutes; Member, Dell Medical School, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin