28
October

08:00 AM BST

Medicinal Chemistry

Name: Medicinal Chemistry Strategy Meeting Europe 2026
Start: 2025-10-16T08:00
End: 2025-10-16T18:00
Location: Crowne Plaza, London Docklands

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Drug Discovery Biology & Bioinformatics

Strategy Meeting Europe 2026

Strengthening the Synergy Between Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Discovery Biology and Bioinformatics To Drive Informed Decision-making Across The Drug Discovery Continuum

Crowne Plaza London Docklands

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A MEETING EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Fresh Drug Discovery Biology & Medicinal Chemistry Insights

Tired of the same conference experience? Real discussions and genuine networking are often promised, but not always delivered. Proventa International’s R&D Strategy Meetings are designed to avoid the pitfalls of a typical conference, by providing the right environment to make those important connections through interactive roundtable discussions, exclusive networking and keynote panel debates. Join Medicinal Chemistry professionals from across Europe, to discover new insights and take your company’s mission to the next level.

What makes our strategy meetings unique?

Roundtable Discussions

Intimate discussions led by renowned industry experts. Have your voice heard and debate alongside like-minded life science executives.

Unrivalled Networking

With senior delegation from big pharma and innovative biotech from across Europe, you can network with peers from different locations, all in one place.

Personalised Agenda

Choose the topics that matter to you. Reserve your place at the roundtable discussions and ensure your whole day delivers the insights you need to hear.

Solutions to your Problems

We've partnered with the best solution providers to solve your biggest challenges. Engage in pre-arranged, private meetings to address your specific needs and find a tangible solution.

Industry Researched Topics

We guarantee our agenda is up-to-date and mission critical because its designed by you. We speak to our extended network of senior decision makers to ensure the most important topics are discussed.

Senior Decision Makers

The entire strategy meeting is specifically tailored to the needs and challenges of senior life science professionals. Discover how your peers are dealing with the same challenges as you.

Our Facilitators

Our panel of facilitators play a key role in shaping the agenda for the day. See who will be bringing their expertise to the table at our Medicinal Chemistry strategy meeting.

Ahmet C. Berkyurek

CEO & Co-founder CamMed Therapeutics

Alan Palmer

Chief Executive Officer Elixa MediScience

Ameet Ambarkhane

CDO Halo Therapeutics

Amit Nayyar

Senior Director XtalPi Inc.

Amit Nayyar, PhD is Senior Director, Chemistry Platform, Automation and AI at XtalPi. He is a scientific leader with more than 20 years of global experience in drug discovery and development, preclinical R&D, and business development across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and CDMO industries. His expertise spans small molecules, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), peptides, peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), and oligonucleotide therapeutics, with a strong emphasis on applying AI, automation, and advanced technologies to accelerate research and development. Prior to joining XtalPi, Dr. Nayyar held leadership positions at Cohance Life Sciences, Theratechnologies, Paraza Pharma, AstraZeneca, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, and Curia. Earlier in his career, he worked at the Tuberculosis Research Section (TRS), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he contributed to the discovery and development PretomanidTM, a globally approved treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Dr. Nayyar holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and is an inventor on seven patents and author of 18 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He serves as a reviewer for international scientific journals and has been an invited speaker, moderator, and panelist at numerous global conferences, where he shares insights on medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, targete

Avinash Patel

Vice President and Head of Early Discovery Dewpoint Therapeutics

Dan Gooding

Executive Director Nuformix

Levente Meszaros

Vice President Preclinical and Translational Science Radiopharm Theranostics

Markus Queisser

Scientific Director GSK

Miraz Rahman

Chief Technology Officer Aethox Therapeutics

Nataly Hastings

CEO Cellestial Health

Nicolas Triballeau, Ph.D

Director Drug Discovery - Chemistry Revvity Signals

Romuald Laine

Head of R&D Evaluation and Partnering Servier Pharma

Shiva NickAria

CEO and Founder Aria Therapeutics

Steve Andrews

Head of Chemistry and Operations, ALBORADA Drug Discovery Institute University of Cambridge

Steven Howard

Director Astex Pharmaceuticals

Steven Zimmer

CEO Dark Matter Therapeutics

Tom Diethe

Executive Director, Head of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence AstraZeneca

Zdravko Zahariev

Chief of Staff Constructive Bio

Zev Wisotsky

Director, Drug Discovery Biologics Revvity Signals

First name	Last name	Job title	Company name	Photo URL	Bio Position
Ahmet	C. Berkyurek	CEO & Co-founder	CamMed Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Ahmet-Berkyurek.jpg
Alan	Palmer	Chief Executive Officer	Elixa MediScience	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Alan-parmer.png
Ameet	Ambarkhane	CDO	Halo Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Ameet_Ambarkhane_square_optimized.jpg	Dr. Ameet Ambarkhane is a translational R&D executive with extensive experience advancing programs from hit triage to clinical development across global pharma and agile biotech ventures. At Novartis, he steered cross-functional lead-optimization teams across DMPK, safety, biology, medicinal chemistry, and developability—delivering multiple NMEs into GLP toxicology and advancing candidates through clinical Proof-of-Concept. His therapeutic breadth covers small molecules, recombinant proteins, and nucleic acid modalities. Recently, as CDO at Halo Therapeutics, Ameet led metabolic GPCR programs targeting incretin pathways via biased signalling mechanism. He focused on incorporating workflows for building integrated discovery engines that connect design with wet-lab DMTA cycles and governed CRO networks to accelerate lead nomination and clinical entry.
Amit	Nayyar	Senior Director	XtalPi Inc.	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Amit-Nayyar.jpg	Amit Nayyar, PhD is Senior Director, Chemistry Platform, Automation and AI at XtalPi. He is a scientific leader with more than 20 years of global experience in drug discovery and development, preclinical R&D, and business development across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and CDMO industries. His expertise spans small molecules, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), peptides, peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), and oligonucleotide therapeutics, with a strong emphasis on applying AI, automation, and advanced technologies to accelerate research and development. Prior to joining XtalPi, Dr. Nayyar held leadership positions at Cohance Life Sciences, Theratechnologies, Paraza Pharma, AstraZeneca, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, and Curia. Earlier in his career, he worked at the Tuberculosis Research Section (TRS), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he contributed to the discovery and development PretomanidTM, a globally approved treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Dr. Nayyar holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and is an inventor on seven patents and author of 18 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He serves as a reviewer for international scientific journals and has been an invited speaker, moderator, and panelist at numerous global conferences, where he shares insights on medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, targete
Avinash	Patel	Vice President and Head of Early Discovery	Dewpoint Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Avinash-Patel.jpg
Dan	Gooding	Executive Director	Nuformix	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Dan-Gooding.jpg
Levente	Meszaros	Vice President Preclinical and Translational Science	Radiopharm Theranostics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Levente-Meszaros.jpg	After completing his PhD at King’s College London, Levente worked as a postdoctoral fellow in radiopharmaceutical development. In 2018 he joined NanoMab Technology Limited first in Shanghai then in London, supporting two early phase 1 diagnostic trials in China and Germany and a phase 2 diagnostic trial in the UK. Levente joined Radiopharm Theranostics (RAD) in September 2021 where he is currently Vice President, Preclinical and Translational Science. He also coordinates R&D activities at Radiopharm Ventures, a joint venture with the MD Anderson Cancer Center. RAD currently has six active clinical trials in the USA and Australia.
Markus	Queisser	Scientific Director	GSK	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Markus-Queisser.jpg	Markus Queisser, PhD, is Scientific Director at GSK, where he leads work in targeted protein degradation (TPD) and induced proximity modalities. With over 15 years of experience spanning PROTACs, molecular glues, and degraderantibody conjugates (DACs), recognised voice in the field, with a strong publication record. He serves on the Steering Committee at ProxiDrugs and chairs the SLAS Special Interest Group on Proximity Assays. Markus will facilitate the Chemical Biology, Targeted Protein Degradation & Undruggables track at this year’s meeting.
Miraz	Rahman	Chief Technology Officer	Aethox Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Untitled-design-3.png
Nataly	Hastings	CEO	Cellestial Health	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Nathaly-Hastings.jpg
Nicolas	Triballeau, Ph.D	Director Drug Discovery - Chemistry	Revvity Signals	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Nicolas-Triballeau.jpg	Nicolas Triballeau is the Drug Discovery Chemistry Lead at Revvity Signals. With 17 years of experience in drug discovery, he has not only provided direct project support and led teams but has also played a significant role in establishing scientific standards and ontologies. Nicolas holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering with a specialization in organic chemistry, a Pharm.D. and a Ph.D. in Drug Design from the University of Paris.
Romuald	Laine	Head of R&D Evaluation and Partnering	Servier Pharma	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Romuald-Laine.jpg
Shiva	NickAria	CEO and Founder	Aria Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Shiva-NickAria.jpg
Steve	Andrews	Head of Chemistry and Operations, ALBORADA Drug Discovery Institute	University of Cambridge	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Steve-Andrews.jpg
Steven	Howard	Director	Astex Pharmaceuticals	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Steven-Howard.jpg	Steven Howard is a senior member of the medicinal chemistry team at Astex Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, UK. He has extensive experience in fragment-based drug discovery across multiple target classes in oncology and neurology. His particular areas of interest include structure-based drug design and the application of new chemical technologies to the synthesis of biologically active molecules. Steven has contributed to a number of successful projects that havedelivered clinical candidates, including the XIAP antagonist ASTX660, the MDM2 ant
Steven	Zimmer	CEO	Dark Matter Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Steven-Zimmer-1.jpg	Steven Zimmer is a biotechnology executive and strategic advisor working at the intersection of AI-driven drug discovery and longevity medicine. As CEO of Dark Matter Therapeutics (Watertown, MA), he leads an AI platform advancing programs in Opioid use disorder, neurodegenerative diseases and Kidney Fibrosis, including an NIH-funded collaboration with Hunter College/CUNY. He is also Co-founder, Director, and Strategic Advisor of Cortesi Longevity, a London-based private longevity advisory serving ultra-high-net-worth clients. His expertise spans AGE-RAGE biology, glycan and epigenetic aging biomarkers, and translational neuroscience. Based in Oxford, UK, Steven works closely with founders, scientists, and investors to build early-stage life sciences ventures. He is a trained Biochemist/Molecular Biologist and spent 20 years on Wall Street and the City of London as an analyst, investment banker and portfolio manager.
Tom	Diethe	Executive Director, Head of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence	AstraZeneca	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Tom-Diethe.jpg
Zdravko	Zahariev	Chief of Staff	Constructive Bio	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Zdravko-Zahariev.jpg	Zdravko is Chief of Staff to the CEO of Constructive Biology, a synthetic biology company based in Cambridge, where he supports strategic planning, business development, and cross-functional execution. Prior to joining Constructive, he was a Venture Fellow at OMX Ventures, conducting scientific and commercial due diligence on early-stage synthetic biology and life sciences companies. He began his career in life sciences consulting before joining Pangea Bio, a London-based biotech developing novel therapeutics for neurological disorders. He studied Biological Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Zev	Wisotsky	Director, Drug Discovery Biologics	Revvity Signals	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Zev-Wisotsky.jpg	Zev earned his B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UC Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UC Riverside, where he studied taste detection in fruit flies. After transitioning from academia, he joined early-stage startups to help streamline scientific processes. Drawing on deep experience at the intersection of science and technology, Zev now serves as Director, Discovery Biology Solutions at Revvity Signals, where he focuses on tailoring software solutions to meet the evolving needs of the life sciences community.

Ahmet C. Berkyurek, Alan Palmer, Ameet Ambarkhane, Amit Nayyar, Avinash Patel, Dan Gooding, Levente Meszaros, Markus Queisser, Miraz Rahman, Nataly Hastings, Nicolas Triballeau, Ph.D, Romuald Laine, Shiva NickAria, Steve Andrews, Steven Howard, Steven Zimmer, Tom Diethe, Zdravko Zahariev, Zev Wisotsky

Our Past Facilitators

Our panel of facilitators play a key role in shaping the agenda for the day. See who will be bringing their expertise to the table at our Medicinal Chemistry strategy meeting.

Alessandro Mazzacani

Director of Chemistry and IP Sitryx

Chris Luckhurst

Head of Chemistry ThirtyFiveBio

Chris is the Head of Chemistry across the Molecule to Medicine incubator ecosystem, currently leading drug discovery programmes at several companies, including ThirtyFiveBio and Curlew Bio. He brings over 25 years of experience in small molecule drug discovery and development, having delivered candidate drugs across neuroscience, inflammation, respiratory, oncology, renal and cardiovascular diseases. Chris currently directs hit finding, lead identification and optimisation drug discovery, as well as preclinical small molecule drug development across the Molecule to Medicine portfolio, providing expertise in medicinal chemistry, supporting CMC and toxicology campaigns, and leading AI-accelerated drug hunting programmes. Recently, compounds that Chris designed and developed at Mission Therapeutics, have progressed through clinical trials. MTX325 has progressed to Phase 1b clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease, and MTX652 was recently divested as a Phase 2-ready asset for acute kidney injury. He holds a PhD in Total Synthesis of Complex Natural Products from University of Cambridge and is coauthor of over 50 peer-reviewed publications and patent applications.

Daniel Gironés

Managing Director Sapiens Natura Pharma

Elisabetta Chiarparin

Former SVP, Head of Discovery & Development Technologies Merck

Guido Koch

Chief Executive Officer Amphilix

Guido Koch is a board member of SynpleChem and co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.amphilix.com/">Amphilx</a>. From 2018 to 2020, Guido was the COO of Topadur Pharma and before a Director in Global Discovery Chemistry at Novartis.
During his career in drug discovery and development, Guido has lead projects in different phases from target identification to early clinical stage including multiple kinase inhibitors. Highlights from >20 years of experience in pharmaceutical industry include significant contributions to one marketed product and 8 clinical candidates.
Guido has built a strong network with academia and the CRO community, which allows him to support research programs by external knowledge, new technology and resources. His research has culminated in >45 scientific publications and 10 patent applications.
Educated at ETH Zürich, he received his Diploma in Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1991, followed from a PhD from the University of Basel. After a postdoc at Caltech, he joined Novartis in 1997.